Business Better Left Unfinished
by ThoseShadows
Summary: Just before finding the lifeless body of Eugene, Mai confessed her feelings to Naru. But, her confession was met with rejection. No, it was more than rejection. It was complete dismissal. Now that they have parted ways on undesirable terms, will there ever be a time where they can make things right? Do they even want to make things right? (Rated T for mild language)
1. August 18th

**August 18** **th** **, 2:17 AM**

The faint _ding_ of the dim 'fasten seatbelt' sign illuminating jolted Oliver Davis out of his state of half-sleep for the fifth time since take off. His flight from Tokyo to London thus far had been rather turbulent due to persistent rainstorms below the belly of the plane. He sat up in his seat a bit, sighing softly in defeat, cracking his back at the sudden change in posture. He shifted his weight so he was leaning against the wall of the darkened plane and closed his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose out of annoyance. Though the day leading up to his evening departure was rather uneventful, he found himself exhausted with the beginnings of what he could only assume was a migraine. All he wanted to do was sleep through this ghastly 12-hour flight, but he was six hours in and had yet to snag even a moment of shuteye; his odds were looking quite grim. To his left, he heard his assistant Lin quietly shut the book he had been reading.

"Noll?" Lin questioned quietly. "Are you alright?" Oliver opened one eye to glance at him.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly, closing his eye again. He could still feel Lin's gaze. " _I said I'm fine._ " Lin sighed loudly in aggravation but did not press any further. He knew better by now. However, when the flight attendant walked past with the beverage cart, he ordered Oliver a hot cup of Earl Grey in willful protest and set the cup in front of him on his fold-down table. He sat up at the disturbance and rolled his eyes at Lin, who smiled underhandedly in triumph as Oliver promptly began drinking the tea. They sat for a while in comfortable silence.

"Do you want to discuss—" Lin began.

"There is nothing to discuss," Oliver replied tersely, staring into his teacup. "As I told you before, I'm fine. I see no reason to feel otherwise." Lin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the stoic expression on Oliver's face.

"Most people would beg to disagree, Noll."

"Well I'm not most people." The edge in his voice caused Lin to back off. Oliver set down his empty cup and pushed it away from him, giving Lin a cold stare before turning away to look out the window. It can hardly be considered a narcissistic remark when it's true, he thought.

He was fully aware that it would be considered normal to outwardly mourn the loss of his twin, but such an awkward expression of emotion would leave him feeling weak and vulnerable. He was fully aware that finding the body of someone so dear to him would be considered traumatic and scarring—and perhaps it was those things to him, too—but it would be unproductive to let that pilot his life. He was fully aware that living in the shadow of his older brother—even after his death—was supposed to make him feel inferior, but it would be dramatic to let himself feel that way given his own numerous accomplishments and talents. He was fully aware that most people would be expected to break under the pressure he experienced, but he was Oliver Davis and that was entirely unacceptable. It's not that he was incapable of having any of these feelings, but being "most people" would be a waste of his and everyone else's time.

So what choice did he have other than to be fine?

Oliver shook his head to clear his mind. This is exactly why he wanted to sleep through this flight; he had nothing to keep him busy and prevent himself from thinking about his current state of affairs. Even reading could offer no reprieve because it was all too easy to let his mind wander as he glossed over the empty words. He itched to be off that plane and back in London, because that meant he would be able to preoccupy himself with more important and productive tasks. After landing, he and his parents, Martin and Luella Davis, would return home to plan Gene's funeral. After that mess was over and done with, at the behest of Martin, he planned on returning to Cambridge to finish his studies. This offered him an infinite amount of work and research to fill his time. If he resumed immediately he could graduate in December. After graduation he had no concrete plans, but he was not worried because he was certain someone with his qualifications and tantalizing good looks would not have any trouble securing a job.

But until then, Oliver was stuck in his own thoughts next to someone who he believed was overly curious about his well-being.

"May I at least ask what you plan to do about the SPR branch in Japan?" Lin interjected into Oliver's thoughts. He clutched the ends of his armrests tightly; that was the last thing he wanted to think about right now.

"I've told you. I'm closing the office," he responded. "Indefinitely."

"What about your associates?"

"That is not my concern; they need to find their own way to fill their time. I believe I already made that clear to them." He replied dismissively. Though, it was only half true. Yes, he had made it clear that they would no longer be meeting or taking cases together, but he did wish his associates well and hoped they would be alright in his absence. He hadn't _hated_ the time they spent together… Whether or not this meant he missed them, he did not know, but he thought it best not to dwell on it. Lin folded his arms, eyes narrowed again.

"And what about Mai?" Oliver froze for a brief moment. A knot in his chest he hadn't noticed before tightened.

"I told her to find a new job," he replied flatly.

"That's not what I meant, Noll," Lin retorted impatiently. Oliver's face darkened.

' _I know,'_ he thought. He clasped his hands and leaned his forearms on the table in front of him. He focused his gaze on his hands. He knew what Lin really meant, but he would not give him that satisfaction. Like everything else, there was nothing to discuss. And truthfully, he did _not_ want to think about it.

Just days before, Mai had confessed her feelings to him. Though he maintained a façade of apathy, her words brought forth an array of feelings he was unfamiliar with and did not know how to handle. He had developed an affection for her some time ago, but did his best to make sense of the feeling and keep it under wraps so it would not interfere with their professional relationship. He wanted so badly to believe it when he told himself the feelings were purely platonic, but ultimately knew it to be false. What he felt for Bou-san, John-san, Matsuzaki-san, Yasuhara-san, and even the blackmailing Hara-san was platonic. And none of those feelings corresponded with what he felt for Mai.

It didn't make sense to him to feel this way towards her of all people. She was loud, annoying, whiny, and most of all, _stupid._ She was all the things he wasn't. Yet somehow, he found these qualities accounted for a large part of this alleged affection. Even though she was loud and annoying, she was also caring and passionate. And although she was stupid, he realized he was mostly comparing her to his own intellect, and let's face it: his intellect could make anyone look stupid. She had a sort of…emotional intelligence, which is something he seemed to lack. She related to their clients so easily and he couldn't help but notice how comfortable everyone was around her—including himself.

He knew he was not the best at reading other people's feelings, so instead of wasting his time wondering if Mai might feel something similar, he ignored his feelings entirely. He figured that after a while they would go away because he would figure out how illogical they were. He thought it was going very well until that one day she screwed everything up. He was forced to confront his feelings and acknowledge that he cared for her in a "very special way," as she put it. So while she stood there so eloquently expressing her feelings, he silently and stoically figured out that there was a _possibility_ that she might be the first girl to both successfully capture his attention _and_ like him back.

But the moment was short lived. The literal man of her dreams was not him—it was Gene. She loved Gene. He _knew_ there was absolutely no way that she would fall for him when there was someone who looked just like him, who actually knew how to talk to people properly and for some reason _liked to_. It was no different than back home in London; everyone always preferred Gene. Even in death, it's _always_ Gene. Normally he could be content living in his shadow, but this time felt different. As much as Oliver loved and missed his brother, he found himself angry at him. First he got _himself_ killed, and then he took away the _one person_ he could possibly see himself… _Loving._ The very concept terrified him.

And now, he's left alone with the remnants of all these feelings that he didn't want in the first place. He didn't have time for these stupid feelings—he didn't _want_ to have time for them.

For the first time he could remember, Oliver felt stupid. He should have known better.

"Noll?" Oliver flinched a bit, snapping out of his thoughts. " _What about Mai?_ " he repeated.

Oliver looked up from his hands finally.

"I'll miss having someone make me tea," he replied, voice completely void of emotion, "but otherwise I have no business left with her."

* * *

 _A/N: My second attempt at Ghost Hunt fanfiction! It's turning out to be much longer than I anticipated, so it will be posted as a multi-chapter story. I have quite a bit written already, but I'll be posting it little by little as I edit. Please enjoy!_

 _I am also having a crisis on when to refer to him as Oliver, Noll, and Naru. So for posterity's sake, he will be Oliver/Noll to his family and Lin/when he is being narrated by himself and Naru to SPR Japan._


	2. November 16th

**November 16** **th** **, 7:24 PM, London**

"Noll, dear, did you get enough to eat?" Luella inquired to her son, smiling softly.

"Yes, mum, thank you," he replied. Her smile faltered for a moment, but she recovered quickly as not to spoil the mood of the dinner she had prepared that evening. She had made Noll's favorite: vegetable risotto, mashed potatoes, rolls and raspberry jam, and steamed broccoli florets. However, it was nearing the end of the meal and he had barely cleared half his plate.

"Well, there is plenty more if you're still hungry!" she chirped cheerfully, hoping to encourage his appetite. He said nothing and continued to push mashed potatoes around his plate with a blank expression. "The same goes for you two, as well! Please, eat up," she finished, gesturing at her husband and Lin, whom she had invited to dinner that evening. Martin pushed his cleared plate away from him.

"If I eat anymore I won't have any room for dessert!" he laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood. Lin smiled a bit and nodded his head in agreement. Luella sighed softly and glanced at her son again briefly before pushing her chair away from the table and standing.

"Well, let's clear the table so I can bring out desert, yeah?" she smiled warmly. "Noll, would you help me clear the table?" He immediately pushed away from the table, as if he had been waiting to be excused for some time now.

"Yes, mum," he replied while gathering a stack of dirty dishes to carry to the kitchen. Luella quickly followed suit, leaving Martin and Lin to chat idly. She followed Oliver through the swinging maple door that lead to her very large—and charming, she would add proudly—kitchen and set the dishes on the granite island in the middle of the room. He turned to walk back into the dining room to retrieve more dishes, but Luella reached out and gently grabbed his elbow to stop him. He turned and looked at her, confused.

"Noll…" she bit her lip. "Are you alright?" He had been acting more distant and aloof than usual ever since his return to Europe. At first she attributed it to the solemnity of Gene's funeral, but in the weeks following he showed no signs of recuperation. Now, though she tried her best to hide it, she was very worried about him. Out of her two sons he had always been the more introverted and reserved one, but he was always polite, formal, and always seemed to exude an air of confidence with great zeal for his work. Nowadays, he was still polite and formal, but it seemed less sincere and more like an obligation, and though he was still passionate about his work, it had completely taken over his life. She was proud of his high marks, but there was something just not right.

He hesitated for a moment, and halfheartedly offered, "Of course, mum." He would have fooled anyone else, but not her.

"Sweetheart, you barely touched your food—"

"I'm fine, mum," he asserted. "Please, stop asking me if I am alright over and over again. You sound like Lin," he said before turning on his heels to gather more dishes. She leaned against the counter, heart sinking to her stomach. This whole dinner was an attempt to make him happy, but it evidently failed. She still had one avenue to pursue: Lin. He knew him the best, other than Gene and herself. She hoped he might be able to offer some insight.

The two of them cleared the rest of the table in uncomfortable silence. He returned to his seat, hands folded in front of him on the table, listening to his father and mentor talk. Meanwhile, she brought in small dessert plates, forks, and teacups, accompanied by a tray of biscuits for Oliver (he was not partial to overly sweet treats), homemade chocolate cake for everyone else, and a pot of steaming Earl Grey tea. She was about to plate some biscuits for him when he raised a hand to stop her.

"None for me, please. Just the tea." She frowned again, this time unable to conceal it. She poured him a cup and set it in front of him. He took one sip before standing. "If you excuse me, I have some reading to finish."

"What? Noll, don't be rude. Why don't you stay down here and socialize for a while? You can finish that reading later," suggested Martin, glancing at his wife out of the corner if his eye knowingly. As if he didn't hear, Oliver made a hasty exit with his tea and walked upstairs to lock himself in his room. "Noll!" Martin called after him. "Noll—!" Luella raised a hand to silence him, sinking into her chair in defeat.

"Leave him be, Martin," she instructed quietly. "It's no good." She shook her head. She poured the three of them tea and cut them three hefty slices of cake. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I was hoping this would cheer him up…"

"Perhaps he isn't as upset as you think, dear," Martin proposed. "Maybe he _is_ just trying to focus harder on school. Graduation is just around the bend..."

Lin shook his head.

"I'm inclined to agree with Luella," Lin supplemented. "While he is still acting like himself, he's just…" he pondered for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "Different."

Martin sighed deeply.

"I know, you're right... I'm just trying to be...optimistic, I guess," he shrugged. He pushed his plate of chocolate cake away from him, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"Do you know what's going on with him, Lin? I was hoping you might be able to help…" Lin hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"I have a very good idea, but it's not something that any of us can fix, unfortunately. I know that isn't what you want to hear," he added when Luella's face dropped, "but this is something he needs to work out for himself."

"Is there anything we can do to help? Anything at all? He barely speaks to us because he's always got his nose buried in a book or is working on his thesis…" she trailed off. "Unless… there are others he would respond to better? Oh!" she sat up straight all of a sudden and slapped her hands on the table, causing the two men to jump. "What about his colleagues from Japan? They've been writing him letters and some of them even sent funeral flowers… Would seeing his friends help?"

A thoughtful expression crossed Lin's face. "Perhaps," he said, stroking his chin pensively.

"Then I believe I have an idea," Luella finished, her face brightening. "But I'll need your help. I can't speak Japanese."

* * *

 _A/N: I know this is a shorter chapter, but believe me, there is a lot more to come._


	3. November 18th

**November 18** **th** **, 10:27 AM, Tokyo**

It had been about four months since SPR shut down. The closure came about very unexpectedly after the team stumbled upon the lake where Gene's body was crudely laid to rest. Subsequently, for Mai Taniyama, the transition into a new routine was turbulent to say the least; she did lose her job, after all. Though, it wasn't the prospect of unemployment that upset her most. Rather, it was the idea that her friends might now drift apart since they really had no reason to meet.

As it turns out, her worries were for naught because since the closure, she and many of her teammates had gotten together several times. She stayed in pretty close contact with Bou-san, Ayako, and Yasu, with whom she frequently spent her weekends shopping, seeing movies, going to the park, or grabbing lunch and/or dinner together. In addition, Bou-san and Ayako together sometimes made plans with her during the week. She suspected they worried about her joblessness and wanted to make sure she was okay and, you know, eating. She felt a bit like a charity case, but appreciated their company and thoughtfulness nonetheless.

They heard from Masako infrequently as she went back to her old routine, which involved copious amounts of filming for her television show, but the famous medium did write them letters to keep them up to date on her current work. They saw John more often because of his attachment to the local Catholic parish, but he was often busy with missionary work. Still, Mai was grateful to still be in touch with them.

But as grateful as she was, there was still something missing: their brooding and devilishly handsome narcissist. Unfortunately, as far as Mai knew, no one had heard from him since his twin's funeral. Mai noticed that her friends tended to skirt around the topic of Naru when they were around her, so she wondered if they somehow figured out that Naru left on undesirable terms. At the very least, they probably all knew no one missed him more than she did and they did not want to upset her. Unlike _someone,_ they seemed to figure out and _respect_ the fact that she had feelings for the insufferable narcissist.

He had a lot of nerve, accusing her of loving his dead brother. Before he left for England, she confessed to him her feelings, which was awkward and extremely embarrassing _thank you very much._ But, her confession was met with rejection. No, it was more than rejection. It was complete dismissal. He basically told her that her _own_ _feelings_ were misdirected and walked away without looking back. What did he know about love, anyway?

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't that. Not even from the unsociable psychic.

For weeks Mai had both raged and sobbed over it. She couldn't blame him for not loving her back; she was well below his league. However, she at least thought they had become close enough that he would treat her feelings with respect. They had investigated plenty of cases side-by-side and spent enough days at the office working together that she would have considered them friends—best friends, maybe. As best of a friend as Naru could be. However, she was clearly wrong.

Despite how angry she was with him, she still loved him and hoped he was doing well. She had sent at least a dozen letters to him at the SPR address Lin had left behind. Maybe if she wrote enough times he would forget how they separated and they could talk like normal. Maybe if he saw how much he was missed, he would come back to Japan again. She even tried writing some of the letters in _English_ for him to show she cared—even though her English was mediocre at best. She had spent numerous hours after school with her English teacher trying to fix the errors the best she could.

None of her letters received a response.

Maybe the one she held in her hands now would be different.

She had stayed up into the early hours of the morning writing and editing that letter so she could send it out that day when Bou-san, Ayako, and Yasu dropped by to pick her up for brunch around 10:30 (she could slip it into a mailbox on the way, she decided). In hindsight it was probably a stupid decision, seeing as she got exactly four and a half hours of sleep and was expected to be a fully functional human being. She awoke at 9:45 that morning so she could take a decent shower to wash away her lethargy and still have at least 2 minutes to throw on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized green sweatshirt she may or may not have stolen from Bou-san.

Mai turned the white sealed envelope over in her hands, eyeing it wistfully.

"Answer me, will ya...?" Mai whispered. A loud knock at the door shocked her out of her despondence. She shoved the letter into her sweatshirt pocket.

"Hey, Mai!" she heard Bou-san call cheerfully from the other side. "Can we come in?" Yasu did not wait for an answer and immediately opened the door.

"Please be awake, I'm _starving,_ " Yasu moaned.

"Yes, please, come in," Mai replied sarcastically, ignoring his whining. Bou-san and Ayako laughed, walking in behind him.

"Oh, Mai, is _that_ what you're wearing?" Ayako gushed.

"Me?" Mai's face flushed. "Y-yeah, what of it?" she retorted indignantly, putting her hands on her hips. She _did_ feel under dressed compared to Ayako, who as usual looked sharp. She outclassed everyone in black high-heeled ankle boots, dark skinny jeans with a red pea coat tied at the waist. Ayako raised her finger to offer a haughty response but Bou-san cut her off.

"Oh, come off it Ayako!" Bou-san laughed, leaning one arm against the door frame. "We're going to brunch, not to meet the emperor." Yasu and Mai giggled as Ayako's face turned bright red, a tell-tale sign she was about to start yelling. Again, he interrupted her. "Besides, the faster we get out of here the faster I can tell you some big news I got this morning."

 **11:15 AM**

The four of them decided to walk to the small café Bou-san had chosen for brunch because though chilly, the day was beautiful. The sun was bright, the sky was nearly cloudless, and a slight breeze dusted their faces. It was a day where nothing could ruin her mood, Mai thought. As they walked, they tried to pry the big news out of Bou-san, but he delighted in the suspense. He refused to tell.

When they arrived, they seated themselves at a round table next to the window and adjacent to a cozy wood-burning fireplace, ordered their food quickly, and immediately went back to work on Bou-san.

"Bou-san, will you please, _please_ tell us now?" Mai whined. She always loved a good surprise. Bou-san leaned back in his chair with his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes with a crafty smile on his face.

"I don't know, I kind of enjoy hearing Ayako beg," he opened one eye to peak at the woman. Ayako snorted.

"Oh please, I do _not_ beg," she replied dismissively.

"Really? That's funny, because you sure begged me a lot last night—"

"TAKIGAWA," Ayako roared. "Don't you dare tell such lies! Like hell I'd—"

" _Guys,_ " Yasu cleared his throat, trying to suppress his laughter and failing miserably. "Please, not in front of the children," he said, gesturing to Mai. Before Mai could open her mouth to respond, the three of them continued making jokes at one another's expense. She smiled, rolled her eyes, and shoved her hands into her sweatshirt pocket. Her hands brushed something smooth. _The letter!_ She had been so caught up in guessing Bou-san's news that she forgot to mail it. Oh well, she thought, shrugging to herself. She would mail it when they left.

After a few minutes of banter, Bou-san finally caved.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you," he sat forward to lean in towards them. "You will never guess who called me this morning. Seriously, try and guess."

"I thought we were done guessing, Bou-san," Mai pouted.

"Right, right, fine," he cleared his throat a bit before continuing, a smile spreading across his face. "Our dear old friend Lin called me this morning. There. I said it!"

" _Lin?!_ " Mai squealed, her heart pounding. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. "I-I mean, Lin called you? Why?"

"The Davis family has invited us to spend Christmas with them. In London! Can you believe it?"

Ayako beamed.

"London? I've always wanted to go there, it looks so beautiful, so…high class!" She exclaimed longingly. "They seriously invited _us_ to London?"

"Yes. Well, us, Masako, and John, to clarify. The Davises would have called themselves, but they don't speak much Japanese, so they had Lin call. Lin said they were very insistent about us coming. They would like to thank us for all of the help we gave Naru before…" he stopped himself as if he were about to spew a profanity. "…Before he went back to England. I think our stone-cold Naru might miss us." He sighed and then smiled again. Yasu's eyes were sparkling.

"Can you imagine the research I would be able to get my hands on?!" he slammed his hands on the table in emphasis. " _First hand_ research from _the_ infamous Davises… Is it weird that I'm almost turned on right now?" Ayako gagged. Bou-san began blathering about how Naru had since turned 18 and by the time they got to Europe he would have finished his degree _and_ his doctoral thesis which included the results from his research in Japan. Yasu almost fainted.

"London…" Mai whispered to herself. More importantly, _Naru…_ She would get to see Naru again. The possibility made her queasy with both excitement and resentment, but it's something she had wanted since the moment he left. Maybe they could patch things up. Somehow. Her feelings had not gone away, but maybe seeing him would provide closure. Or maybe he will have changed his mind… _'Not likely,'_ she thought. As the conversation entered a lull, her heart sunk and she added, "Spending Christmas in London would be great… But there is no way I can afford a plane ticket…" Bou-san waved a hand at her, leaning around the waitress, who had just brought their orders to the table.

"Don't worry about that, Mai! Lin said the Davises have offered to pay for everyone's ticket _and_ let us stay at their residence." Mai's eyes went wide. "I protested and said that would be way too much, but Lin insisted it was their Christmas present to us. Hard to argue with that!" Bou-san laughed.

"That's one big Christmas present…" Ayako murmured.

"I'll say," Mai replied. "That's so generous of them. I would feel guilty accepting."

"Well, they offered. They wouldn't have offered if they didn't want you to accept," Bou-san reasoned. Mai could think of no counter argument.

"Well, should we do it?!" Yasu inquired.

"I'm in," replied Ayako.

"Me too," Bou-san added. All three of them looked to Mai. Yasu seemed to be holding his breath.

"Okay, I'd love to go," Mai finally said. Yasu stood up suddenly, shouted in victory, causing the tea he ordered to spill all over the table. Everyone laughed and he quickly seated himself again to avoid all the strange looks he was getting from the other patrons, face flaming. "Besides," Mai offered, "It will be nice to see Naru again. We haven't heard anything from him since August!" Bou-san and Ayako exchanged concerned looks briefly and Yasu cleared his throat and averted his eyes. Mai tilted her head, confused. "What?"

"You haven't heard anything from Naru since he left?" Bou-san asked, sounding surprised.

"No. Why? Have you…?" she inquired cautiously. _'The answer better be no,'_ she fumed to herself. Bou-san said nothing for a few moments.

"Well… I mean… I sent flowers for Gene's funeral and received a very nice thank you in poor Japanese…" He finally conceded. Mai narrowed her eyes, glancing between Ayako and Yasu, neither of whom would meet her gaze.

"I… Well…" Yasu began.

" _Yes?_ " Mai asked petulantly.

"I've been contacted a few times to provide details on some of the research from our cases…"

"And I personally haven't heard anything," Ayako asserted emphatically, clearly ashamed anyway, "but I know that John has received at least one letter and Masako received a phone call…" Mai's blood boiled.

" _A phone call?!"_

"I'm sure he would have contacted you if _you_ wrote letters! You were always Naru's favorite!" Bou-san added in an attempt to cheer her up.

"I _have_ sent—" she stopped herself and took a deep breath, an unfathomable rage still flowing through her veins. She exhaled pointedly. "Please, excuse me for a moment."

The others watched with wide eyes, too afraid to make any sudden movements. She stood up and took the letter out of her sweatshirt pocket. After thinking about it very briefly, she tore he envelope in two. Ayako brought one hand to her mouth to catch a gasp and tightly grabbed onto Bou-san's sleeve with the other. She was the first to understand what was going on. Mai continued to tear the letter into more pieces as she made her way to toss it in the burning fireplace.


	4. December 21st, Part One

_A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! I really appreciate it! I have prepared the next installment. It's the longest chapter so far! I hope you enjoy it! I enjoyed writing it._

 _Housekeeping: From here on out there will be two different languages being spoken by the characters in the same chapter. To avoid confusion, I am going to have to come up with a system that will be at least mostly consistent. Bear with me! In this chapter I tried to indicate which language was in italics._

 _Also, I've taken an assortment of canon ideas and molded them to fit my needs, but this ultimately **does not** follow the canon sequels._

 _Shameless plug: If you like "Business Better Left Unfinished," you should check out my other story, "Drip"! I will warn you that it is rated M for relatively extreme violence/death, though... But I am very happy with how it turned out! I've never written horror before "Drip," but I still encourage you to check it out (if that floats your boat)._

 _And now without further ado..._

* * *

 **December 21** **st** **, 2:20 PM, Tokyo**

Bou-san, Ayako, Yasu, and Mai sat in four uncomfortable airport chairs, yawning and waiting for John to join them. John had accepted the Davises' offer to celebrate Christmas with them in London, but Masako regretfully was unable to make room in her schedule due to her packed filming timetable. The four of them gazed out the large airport windows, watching planes land and take off in tired silence. Although their flight was scheduled for that afternoon, the last-minute preparations, the stress of fitting all four of them into Bou-san's car with all of their luggage (the majority of which was Ayako's), and their travel nerves all took their toll.

Mai clicked the side-button on her cellphone to check the time. John was likely finishing security checks at this point, she reasoned, as he promised to meet them at the gate by 2:25 to board with them and make the 2:45 departure. He had some business to finish at the parish that morning so decided it would be best to arrive separately, just in case he got held up.

In an effort to boost morale, Ayako jabbered on about how excited she was to live the London lifestyle, listing all the places she wanted to see and stores she wanted to visit. Yasu seemed to be listening intently, but Bou-san continued watching the planes, nodding his head once in a while to placate her. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice his indifference to the topic. Meanwhile, Mai sat in ominous silence with a scowl on her face.

She had seriously tossed around the idea of _not_ going to London after all, seeing as the sole reason she would have gone in the first place was _dear old_ _Naru_ , who clearly didn't feel it was necessary to continue speaking to her _._ Mai had never felt so angry at someone in her entire life. He ripped open the wounds he caused via heart wrenching rejection that she so tenaciously worked to close. She could only imagine what _seeing_ him would do to her. Though, she liked to imagine that the physical wounds she wanted to rip open on _him_ would hurt more than her feelings…

However, by the time she actually decided she did not want to go the Davises had already bought her ticket.

Mai sighed deeply, some of her anger diminishing. Deep down, she knew she was looking forward to the trip _and_ actually seeing Naru, though those feelings were often overcome by her lingering irritation. At least if she went, she reasoned, she would be able to give him a piece of her mind while taking an all-expenses paid vacation on his family's dime. As rude as that idea was.

In the end, it all evened out. Sort of.

"Cheer up, Mai!" Bou-san ruffled her hair affectionately, bringing her back to reality. "I'm sure Naru has a good reason for not returning any of your letters."

"Yeah, okay," Mai snorted.

" _And_ you get to spend quality time with all of us!" He added with a mammoth smile. His smile faltered when her demeanor did not change. "Look, Mai… I'm sorry. I know you're upset with him. Hell, I'm upset with him _for_ you!" he declared. A grin pulled at her lips. "See? That's better! Try and not let him ruin this trip for you, okay? That's Ayako's job." He nudged her with his elbow. She shoved him away.

"You're such an idiot, Takigawa," she replied.

"Thanks, guys… I'll try, I promise," Mai swore. She really did mean it.

Behind them, a familiar voice belonging to their blonde-haired priest John rang cheerfully from behind them.

"So sorry I'm late! I got here as soon as I finished up with my work at the orphanage," he apologized sweetly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"And just in time, too!" Bou-san said as he stood up. The airline attendant had just called for the boarding of their flight over the intercom. Her friends stood up and gathered their carry-on luggage. She sat for a few more moments, trying to push away her overabundance of emotions.

Mai sighed. She truly had no idea what direction this trip was going to take.

* * *

 **December 21** **st** **, ?**

Yasu and Mai shared a row of two on the right side of their massive airbus. Yasu had graciously given her the window seat. To their immediate left in the center aisle sat John, Ayako, and Bou-san. John read a Catholic devotional as Bou-san watched the inflight movie, Ayako fast asleep against his shoulder.

"Damn it, you win again, Yasu," Mai sighed in defeat. Yasu chuckled softly, pulling a marked up sheet of paper from her fold-down table to place it on his own.

"What can I say?" he replied, scratching out their latest game of _hangman_ to make room for another. The word he managed to guess was _aardvark._ "I'm a pro."

Mai was glad to be seated next to Yasu during the flight. Over the past few months he had become one of her dearest friends, almost like an older brother. She of course loved the others, but they were significantly older so it was nice to have a friend that was close in age; they were better able to relate to one another. Not to mention he was smart and never failed to make her laugh. He had a certain charm about him.

The two of them decided to play the English game _hangman,_ which they often played in school for English vocabulary review, to pass the time. Neither of them were particularly skilled in English (though he fared better than her) so they decided to practice a bit before landing in a primarily English-speaking country. Lucky for them John was a native English speaker, Bou-san knew basic survival English, and conveniently, Ayako was nearly fluent. She recently bragged to them that she started studying English with a private tutor when she was ten years old.

So far the game successfully passed three hours. Only nine more to go.

Yasu pensively tapped the pencil on his table. After a few moments, he set the pencil down and turned in his seat to face Mai, a wan smile on his face. He pushed his glasses up his nose a bit before speaking.

"Mai, if you don't mind me asking… Are you going to be okay?" The question caught her off guard.

"Y-yeah, of course," she answered immediately. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you ask?"

"Why do _you_ think I'm asking?"

Mai thought for a moment.

"I… Well…" she sighed, knowing he would see through any lie she tried to tell. She was a terrible liar. "Probably because of Naru…" he nodded, gesturing with his hand to continue. "And because I've been a little upset about him not answering my letters…"

"A _little?_ Mai, you were a _little_ upset when I ate the last onigiri at lunch last week," he jested. "C'mon now."

"Okay, _a lot_ upset. But it's no big deal!" her voice cracked. Damn it.

"So you're telling me if Naru never spoke to you again you would be completely okay with that?" Mai said nothing. "I didn't think so." He deduced triumphantly. A lump formed in Mai's throat. Whatever she did, she would _not_ cry. Not again. She had avoided talking about this for a reason.

"I…" she trailed off. She had no words. He held up a hand to silence her, shaking his head a bit.

"It's okay, you don't need to elaborate if you don't want to," he leaned his elbow on his table, supporting his head against his fist. "I've just noticed how upset you've been since you found out…well, what you found out. I'm really sorry…" Mai shook her head.

"Don't apologize, it isn't your fault…" she assured, her voice a whisper. She looked at her folded hands in her lap.

"I know, but I'm still sorry. It must be hard. I know you love him," he said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. The lump in her throat grew even bigger. "And don't try to deny it. It's obvious. I don't know what happened between you two, but if you want my opinion, I think he felt the same."

Mai laughed bitterly.

"Prove it," she challenged.

"I don't need to. I'm sure you can figure it out for yourself. Plus, you have five days to talk to him about it, so…"

"Woah, who said I'm going to talk to him about it?" she accused, looking up at him straight in the eye. "It went _so_ well the last time."

"You'll regret it if you don't. That's why I lied when I told you the Davises had already bought your ticket when you told me you didn't want to go."

"You _lied_ to me?! Yasu!" she fumed. "How cou—!" He covered her mouth playfully with his free hand to silence her, a devious grin forming on his own. She continued to bellow into his hand. He ignored her.

"Oh please, are you _really_ mad at me?"

She went quiet, thinking for a moment. She _was_ going on a free vacation with her best friends… And she _was_ going to see Naru again… He was just doing what he thought was best, despite how deceitful it was. She couldn't stay mad at him. She finally shook her head. He removed his hand.

"Good," he chuckled a bit, "because I am 98% positive you are going to thank me later."

"Yasu…" she began. "Thank you."

"I didn't mean _now_ —"

"No," she interrupted. "I mean, thank you for talking to me about this. Asking how I am… I appreciate it a lot."

"Of course!" he exclaimed as he sat up straight. " _We shall continue the game?"_ he suggested in choppy English with a warm smile.

" _Yes, please,"_ she answered with a laugh, feeling her nerves slowly diminish.

* * *

 **December 21** **st** **, 7:34 PM, London**

Nearly 14 hours later (after making their way through England's customs, immigration, _and_ hailing two taxis to make sure everyone fit), Mai, Ayako, John, Yasu, and Bou-san found themselves _finally_ standing at the massive front door leading into the Davises' residence. The door was carefully crafted from dark wood with fancy gold embellishments. They all stood in awe as a light snow dusted the tops of their heads.

"Well shit," Bou-san said, rubbing the back of his neck. "No wonder they said we can _all_ stay here." He was right; the house—no, the mansion—was absolutely huge. It was a beautiful, elegant Victorian-style mansion with well-trimmed hedges, a sizeable wing on either side of the main hall, and two floors. It managed to look pomp but classy at the same time.

"I can't believe Naru lives here," Ayako mused. She was clearly jealous. "Do you supposed they would adopt me, too?"

"Ayako, that's a bit distasteful don't you think?" John reprimanded in his sweet priestly way. The group laughed quietly, but mostly because of nerves.

"Well… Shall we?" Bou-san offered, gently pushing his way to the front of the group. Everyone nodded. Mai's heart pounded rapidly. _Naru…_ What would happen when he saw her? He was probably capable of acting like an adult, but was she? As Bou-san thumped on the door with the gold knocker, Mai instinctively grabbed onto Yasu's hand for comfort; he was the closest to her, both in proximity and as a friend.

After a few moments, the door opened slowly and light flooded the threshold.

* * *

 **December 21** **st** **, 7:34 PM, London**

Oliver laid on his bed, eyes closed (though still wide awake) and breathing slowly. An open book titled _Psychoanalysis and the Paranormal: The Inherent Nature of Psychic Phenonmena_ laid on his chest. The content was nothing new to him, but it was something to keep him busy for an hour or two. Ever since he graduated at the beginning of the month and presented his completed thesis to his advisory board, he found himself with too much free time. What was a luxury to others was an enormous nuisance to him.

Ever since his return, he continually found ways to preoccupy his time and keep to himself. Focusing on academics prevented him from acknowledging the knot in his chest that _still_ refused to go away. However, the last two weeks plagued him with gaping holes in his schedule that he involuntarily filled with battling internal conflict. He was not an emotionally expressive person by nature (his volatile psychokinesis had made sure of that) so what was going on in his mind was always a mystery to those around him, meaning that he suffered—for lack of a better word—alone. He supposed it was better that way. There was nothing anyone could do to change his circumstances and he certainly wasn't looking for pity, so logically there would be no point in sharing his feelings.

His mother had been very nosy the last few months, insisting there was something wrong and that she had good reason to be worried about him. He knew she meant well, but she was getting on his nerves (which he acknowledged were noticeably shorter than they used to be). He did not need a lecture on the "abnormality" of his behavior. And what would she say if she found out part of his torment—not his torment, his _situation_ , he corrected himself—was due in part to a female he hadn't even spoken to for months?

If she and everyone else would just _let it go,_ it would make his life infinitely easier.

This would pass.

It had to, he affirmed to himself.

A loud series of knocks on the front door pulled him out of his relaxation—if you could call it that. He opened his eyes and sat up, carefully closing his book and setting it on his bedside table.

"Noll, would you get that please?" Luella called from downstairs. "My hands are full!"

"Okay," he yelled in response. He stood up and brushed the imaginary lint and wrinkles from his black clothes and smoothed the hair his pillow had disheveled. He passed by his desk as he exited the room, looking it over briefly. The top was neat and organized, but he knew beneath the tidiness in the first drawer sat several unopened letters from Mai. A twinge of guilt pierced his stomach. _'How unsettling,'_ he noted. He couldn't bring himself to open them. Even if he did, he wouldn't know what to say. So then he would be left with more feelings he couldn't control and he will have relapsed instead of moving on like he needed to. He knew that ignoring her letters while contacting the majority of his other Japanese colleagues was impolite (and his reasoning for doing so was incredibly selfish), but he really just couldn't be bothered with that.

Not if he wanted to move ahead.

He made his way down the large maple staircase to the granite foyer, which was filled with the smell of a lavish dinner his mother was cooking for that evening. He could not figure out why, seeing as Lin was the only guest invited that night. And he had already arrived.

As he gracefully strode towards the door, he failed to notice Lin, Martin, and Luella (who was smiling suspiciously) emerging from the kitchen door behind him. Luella anxiously waited for him to see his surprise; she was extremely proud of herself and very confident this would cheer him up.

He opened the door slowly.

"Yes?" He greeted the mystery visitors.

Oliver froze in shock, mouth agape.

" _Naru!"_ shouted Bou-san happily in Japanese, opening his arms like he was about to hug him. " _Look who's here!_ " He stepped off to the side, revealing Ayako, Yasuhara, John, and… _Mai._ Oliver's stomach twisted and his chest knot constricted, making it difficult to breathe.

A strange mixture of nostalgia and anger simmered inside him. He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled slowly from his mouth, masking his conflicted fury in an eerie calmness.

" _Hello,"_ he greeted formally without any hint of emotion, unsure of what else he was expected to say. He turned his head to glance behind him. Just as he suspected: Luella, Lin, and Martin. "Mother, care to explain?" She giggled, not catching onto his unease.

"Happy Christmas, Noll!" She exclaimed, moving to embrace him. She wrapped her arms around him for a moment and squeezed. He did not reciprocate. She pulled back, hands gently cupping his elbows. "We invited your friends from Japan to stay with us for the holidays! We wanted to thank them for their service to you, and we thought you would enjoy the company!" She moved one hand to place it on her hip, glowing with pride, clearly expecting a 'thank you' or even a smile.

"I see," he replied flatly. He looked at Lin. "And you knew about this, I assume?" Lin simply nodded. "I see." He turned back to his friends and examined them. His eyes were instantly magnetized to Mai. He held her gaze for a moment. Her face was already red from the cold, but he was sure she was also blushing. His eyes then fell to her hand, which was nestled in another: Yasuhara's. Oliver clenched a fist, heart now inexplicably aching. He was so… _emotional_ he could just throw up.

Without another word, he brushed his mother's hands away in one swift motion, turned around, and calmly but briskly walked back up the stairs. Everyone's eyes followed him silently, puzzled. He disappeared around a corner and after a brief tick of awkward silence, a door slammed unnecessarily loudly. Luella winced.

Bou-san coughed uncomfortably, and in his best English offered:

"Ehh… Soo-prize?"


	5. December 21st, Part Two

_A/N: Here is the next chapter! I wanted to write it sooner, but I've had a very busy last few days._

 _There is much more to the story, I assure you. Getting settled in is not the most exciting thing, but it is necessary._

 _Also! I will now be indicating the primary language of each section at the beginning. The secondary language will be in italics._

 _I also fuckin love lingustics and I can totally see Luella loving them to so voila~~~ No but really I study linguistics, so I am using accurate language errors. I did my research._

 _I hope you enjoy. I can't wait to write the next chapter._

* * *

 **December 21** **st** **, 7:37 PM, London**

 _(Primary language: English)_

A deafening hush settled over the Davises' entryway. Nobody had moved nor spoken since Bou-san's awkward salutation for fear they would break whatever bond was holding together the fragile silence. Martin's face was red with anger and embarrassment at his son's disrespectful behavior, Lin looked completely unsurprised, and Luella looked like she could (and very likely would) burst into tears.

To everyone's relief, John, who stood behind Mai and Yasu, cleared his throat.

" _So sorry_ ," he whispered to the two as he courteously slipped himself between them with a warm smile on his face, causing their hands to separate. Mai had completely forgotten she had grabbed it in the first place. He stepped into the threshold, clearly awaiting a proper invitation inside but wanting to initiate pleasantries nonetheless. "You must be Dr. and Mrs. Davis!" he observed merrily. "Thank you so much for inviting us to your home; it is an honor."

Luella stared blankly at him for a minute, not seeming to register that she was spoken to. Then after a moment, she blinked away the moisture that had pooled in her eyes and smiled sincerely, visibly relaxing.

"Oh, yes, of course! Don't mention it. Please, come it," she gestured. "It's bitter outside." She sighed. The five guests stepped into the main hall, dropping their luggage to the floor in relief, rubbing their hands together to warm themselves. Mai observed how beautifully it was decorated for the holiday: green pine garland winding up the stair banisters accented with bright red bows, red and gold beads draped from a crystal chandelier directly above them, and novelty Christmas decorations (mostly snow globes) littering any open flat surface stylishly.

John extended a cold hand towards Luella.

"It is wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Davis," he said as she shook his hand. "I am Oliver's friend John Brown."

"Please, call me Luella," she requested as John moved to shake Martin's hand as well. "You must be the priest Noll has told us so much about. It's a pleasure to meet you, Father Brown." John laughed.

"Please, just call me John," he replied. He turned to gesture to the other four who had been listening silently. "These are the rest of our friends—" Ayako held up a manicured hand before he could introduce them, ignoring traditional Japanese social normality. She evidently wanted to make it known that she spoke and understood English exceptionally well.

"Yes, I am Ayako Matsuzaki," she said with barely a hint of an accent, stepping forward to shake Luella's hand. Luella's eyes widened in fascination, clearly both impressed and surprised.

"Ah! The earth spiritualist!" Martin noted. Ayako nodded.

"It is nice to meet you." She glanced at Bou-san with a smirk on her face, as if challenging him to do better. He stepped forward to take his turn.

"My name is Houshou Takigawa. It is good to meet you," he said bowing respectfully, though over enunciating his words. Nonetheless, he looked proud of himself. " _Hey Lin!_ " he added, grinning. Lin rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"The Buddhist monk, right?" Martin guessed. Bou-san giggled.

"Monk..." he repeated, giggling again. Martin raised an eyebrow. "Monk."

 _"Takigawa, you're embarassing me..."_ Ayako whispered.

 _"What? Look me in the face and tell me_ "monk" _is not a funny word."_

Martin cleared his throat. "It's wonderful to meet you, Miss Matsuzaki, Mr. Takigawa. Thank you for joining us here for the holiday," Martin said, nodding his head toward them. Luella turned towards Mai and Yasu. "And who might you two be?"

"Ah…" Mai began, her nerves suddenly overwhelming her. She had never spoken English to a native speaker before. "Ah…"

"My name is Osamu Yasuhara," Yasu interjected, bowing courteously. Mai sighed in relief, taking the moment to gather herself.

"Ah… My name is Mai Taniyama," she finally managed. She let out a breath she had been holding. She glanced at Luella, who looked strangely ecstatic. She clapped her hands together, grinning wide, and bowing respectfully back to all of them.

" _Konbanwa,"_ she said. " _Hajimemashite."_ Mai giggled. It was evident Luella spoke very little Japanese, but Mai thought it was very flattering she would go out of her way to learn a bit just to greet them. She seemed like such a pleasant woman. "Again, thank you all for joining us. We are all…" she glanced at the top of the stairs for a moment, then back towards the group, "…very happy you could be here." She sighed deeply. "I'm so sorry for Oliver's behavior, he is usually not so insensitive." Mai snorted to herself, understanding her words completely. Luckily no one was paying attention.

"It's quite alright," John reassured her. Mai snorted again.

"Luella, do not apologize on his behalf," Lin sighed. "Because it is not alright." He shook his head. She remained silent for a moment, knowing he was right.

"Perhaps I should talk to him…" she mused.

"No," Lin replied shortly. "I will talk to him. You should take care of our guests," he suggested. She paused again.

"Well… Alright," she conceded, not looking entirely convinced. "Again, so sorry." She added, bowing once again. Lin rolled his eyes. "How about we get you all settled in, yeah? Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes" she finished with a smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes, Mai thought.

"Thank you, that would be lovely," Ayako responded, picking up two of her travel bags. " _Takigawa, carry that one for me,"_ she ordered, gesturing to her last piece of luggage. He glared at her, but ultimately did not disobey as he only packed one small suitcase with his belongings and had a free hand.

"I will show you upstairs to your rooms," Luella said, walking over to the staircase on which Oliver had disappeared just minutes ago. She paused on the first step. "Martin, dear, would you please watch the roast in the oven? And make sure the bread is warm!" He nodded enthusiastically. "Do _not_ think about eating any of it before we have fed our guests, dear," she hissed. He frowned, turning around and disappearing into the kitchen, muttering words Mai could not understand. Luella shook her head and began to ascend the stairs. "Please, follow me."

The five of them gathered their belongings and followed as she requested, Lin trailing close behind. The upstairs hall was regal, just like the rest of the house, decorated with fine wood and tasteful paintings. Seven doors lined the hall, three on the right and four on the left. Each door was bordered with the same green garland from the banisters, misted with white to look like fresh snow. Above them hung crystal snowflakes, which glittered from several strands of white Christmas lights.

Luella directed Yasu and Bou-san to the opened door at the far end of the hall on the left, apologizing that they would need to share. Bou-san insisted that "it would being okay." The room was large enough to share anyways. She directed John to the next open door on the same side, Ayako to the one next to that, and Mai to the one closest to the stairs.

"Dinner will be waiting for you downstairs in the dining room, whenever you are all settled in. I look forward to it!" she exclaimed. "Also, if you need it, the loo is through that door there," she added, pointing to the second door on the right side. Everyone nodded, so Mai followed suit with a smile. When Luella turned to leave, she secretly asked Ayako what exactly a 'loo' was.

The five of them then dispersed into their respective rooms to unpack and take a breather, while Lin lingered behind in the hall. Luella passed him to descend the stairs and return to the kitchen. However, she paused when she heard him knock loudly on the door almost directly across from Mai's: Oliver's room. She heard the door open, and then close again. She peaked carefully around the corner, but saw no one, so she crept to the door quietly. After a moment of ethical struggle, she decided to press her ear to the door to listen; she just could not _wait_ to hear Oliver's excuse for storming off.

What she heard was _definitely_ not what she expected.

 **December 21** **st** **, 7:35, London**

 _(Primary language: English)_

As soon as he slammed the door, Oliver immediately regretted his behavior. But there was no going back now. He leaned his back against the closed door, covering his face with his hands for a moment before running them through his hair exasperatedly. He was absolutely livid.

What the hell was his mother thinking?

Why wouldn't she leave him alone, like he wanted?

Why did she insist on 'fixing' him?

 _Why did people think he needed fixed?_

He was an attractive, mature man with two doctorates, so if anything, he should be fixing _everyone else._ So what if he was feeling angry, blindsided, guilty, confused and dejected? So what if he felt that way for the last few months? Had he asked for help? No. Did he _want_ help? No. He clenched his fists tightly, until they were shaking.

This whole situation was stupid. Everything he was feeling could be exterminated by simply making the choice not to let himself fall victim to contemptible human nature.

Oliver grabbed the book he had been reading when he was so rudely interrupted and sat down at the end of his bed. Naturally, he needed something else to preoccupy his time until he could think rationally again. He flipped it open on his lap to begin reading. Instead, he stared blankly at the pages before him. He found himself fixated on his ragged breath. He closed his eyes, deliberately breathing deeply and slowly in an attempt to fall into a meditative state.

The dull ache in his chest was making that very difficult. Involuntarily, images of Mai, _who was now in his home,_ flooded his mind. He hadn't known how much he wanted to see her until she was standing at his front door—nor how much he _didn't_ want to see her.

Then the image of her hand in Yasu's flashed in his mind.

He threw the God-damned book against the wall. No sooner had the book hit the floor did he hear a knock at his door. Fantastic. He stood up and trudged over, placing his hand on the knob. He waited until he felt like he at least _looked_ like he was fine.

He was not surprised to find Lin on the other side. They stared at each other for a moment, neither man displaying a trace of emotion.

"Can I help you?" Oliver muttered, not sounding the least bit sincere. Lin rolled his eyes and pushed passed him, shutting the door behind him. He stared out the window above Oliver's bed for a moment, then turned to face him, his arms crossed.

"I assume you know why I'm here," Lin started. Oliver replied by crossing his own arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Enlighten me," he seethed. Lin's eyes narrowed.

"Your behavior downstairs was appalling,"

"I am aware," he replied curtly.

"Are you, Noll?"

"That _is_ what I said, isn't it," he retorted.

"Then why? Those are your— _our_ friends—for Christ's sake!"

"And?"

"Are you really so childish that you can't even—"

"I'm _not_ a child," he cut Lin short.

"Then act like it, Noll!" he barked. Oliver raised his chin, not accustomed to his assistant raising his voice at him. "Your mother brought all of them here for _you._ "

"I did not ask her to do that, you know,"

"She was trying to help! She knows there is something wrong and wants—"

"—To fix me? Yeah, I know," Oliver replied, his voice also raising.

" _Noll._ You could at least thank her,"

"But I'm not thankful,"

"That is not the point,"

"But then I would be lying," he replied with sarcastic alarm in his tone. He felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach as he watched his assistant get progressively more frustrated, but he was not ready to give up yet.

" _She wants to help,_ " he repeated for emphasis.

"Well, she can't!" he thundered. "But I don't possibly believe there is a way to make her understand that!"

"Then you need to deal with this yourself!"

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Now is not a good time for that," he replied flatly.

"And when will be a good time, then?" Lin replied, holding Oliver's gaze. "She's here. Mai is _here_ , Noll—don't you give me that look, I know that's what a lot of this is about." Oliver paused for a moment.

"I haven't replied to her letters for a reason," he murmured. "So what makes you think her being here will make a difference? That doesn't change the fact that I'm not Gene."

"You can't just live the rest of your life ignoring how you feel,"

"It's worked up until this point," he corrected.

"And look where you are right now." He punctuated his statement with a gesture towards Oliver, whose arms were still crossed. Oliver looked away.

"I'm _not_ an emotional person,"

"No, Noll, you _are_ an emotional person; what you aren't is _communicative_."

"I never used to have this… _problem,_ Lin," Oliver conceded, his voice dropping to a murmur. Lin sighed.

"You also never lost your brother, before."

Oliver pondered that statement for a while. When Gene was alive, it _was_ noticeably easier to deal with his feelings. He did not recall ever having this much of an issue, especially after he got his PK under control. Gene understood him more than anyone, which also meant he knew how to handle his feelings and knew what he needed and when. Perhaps he had taken that for granted.

"And you've also never been in love." He felt his body react very disagreeably to the last word; his chest tightened, his stomach wretched, and his head ached.

But he did not deny it.

He couldn't.

Lin smiled wanly, knowing he had finally pinpointed a major source of the problem.

"Your mother did this because she loves you. She already lost one son, Noll," he said quietly. "Don't let her lose another one."

Oliver moved like he was going to say something, but had no words. He looked down at his hands. Lin moved to take his leave, Oliver moving out of his way but not looking up.

"Dinner will be ready soon, and I expect you to be there," Lin said before opening and closing the door softly.

And with that, he was alone. For some reason, he thought this would have made him feel better.

It didn't.

The only thing that had changed was that he now knew the source for a large part of his despondency, and the verity of it made him nauseous: _love_.

 **December 21** **st** **, 8:05 PM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

Mai wandered her way down to the main floor of the house after freshening up a bit and unpacking her few personal belongings into her room. Her room—almost a perfect square— was nicer than any hotel in which she had ever stayed. It had a large, multi-paned window in the middle of the wall opposite the door, a beautiful antique desk, a sizable twin bed with silky sheets and a dark-green patterned quilt to compliment the timber walls, and a small chest at the end of her bed in which she could store her clothes. The floor was also made of wood, but was covered by a spacious, soft, white rug she liked to squish between her toes. Her favorite part was the little Christmas tree nestled in the corner of her room, decorated in white lights, red and gold bulbs, and a bright star on top. She had used its soft, soothing lighting to unpack.

Despite the turbulence of their arrival, her room felt very much like home.

She followed the pleasant smell of the dinner Luella had cooked for their arrival through a swinging wooden door located just off to the side of the staircase that led into a stately dining room that matched the rest of the house's decor. Her mouth fell open.

In the middle of the room, surrounded by nine mahogany cushioned chairs, stood a massive, mahogany dining table with a red and green table runner down the middle. But it wasn't the table that awed Mai, but it was the meal on top: a massive roast marinating in its own delicious juices, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, and warm, homemade sourdough bread slices with soft, spreadable white cheddar cheese. Her mouth began to water.

She looked around for an empty seat. There were three left, as her friends and Martin had already found their way down and were chatting excitedly in a mixture of languages. She assumed the seat on the left of Martin was reserved for Luella, so she took one of two empty seats between Bou-san and Yasu. Luella traipsed about the room, carefully placing her individually crafted salads on each plate, humming to herself. When Luella made it to Mai's plate, she gave Mai a few affectionate pats on the head, leaving Mai extremely confused.

"Ehh..." she looked up at Luella, who immediately blushed.

"I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean anything by it! I'm just…happy you are here," she gave Mai a warm smile. She was still confused, but didn't press further—she didn't think she had the words to. Instead, she offered:

"Th-thank you very much for the dinner, Miz Loo-ella," she said, causing the smile on Luella's face to grow. "It, ehm… It has a good smell!" She sighed, embarrassed. She knew she sounded like a complete amateur. But Luella just patted her shoulder, clearly very grateful.

"You are welcome, Mai," she finished, continuing around the table. Bou-san nudged her with his elbow, grinning.

" _Your_ _English isn't nearly as bad as you made it out to be!"_ he remarked. Mai blushed.

" _Oh, yes it is!"_ she laughed, rubbing her neck. _"I'm just glad she can understand me."_ She looked up, noticing that Luella was listening to them talk with the same, intense interest as she did when they arrived. She looked down bashfully at her plate immediately, now realizing for the first time that her place setting was _way_ too fancy for her. The plates were pure porcelain and the wine glasses were fine crystal filled with ice water. Though, it wasn't the pristineness that made her nervous; it was the superfluous amount of forks. She had never learned fancy business etiquette…

Finally, Luella sat down, wiping her brow, panting a bit.

"Please, everyone, I made this especially for you so don't be shy!"

"Good evening," a familiar deep voice rang. Just the sound of it made Mai flush and want to burst into flames. " _And good evening to all of you, it is nice to see you."_ The dining room fell silent for a few moments as Naru made his way over to the only empty chair. Next to Mai. She wanted to die.

Luella blinked a few times, then smiled faintly to herself.

" _Naru! Nice of you to join us!"_ Bou-san declared, a mouth full of lettuce in his mouth. _"Good to see you, too!"_

"Yes, it is quite good to see you Naru. You look handsome as ever," Ayako added with a wink. Naru raised an eyebrow.

"Miss Matsuzaki, your English is excellent," he remarked as he sat down, trying to conceal his surprise. "How long have you been studying?" He did not look at Mai once.

"Thirteen years!" she proclaimed proudly.

" _That's_ why you don't have much of an accent! That's so impressive! It really is indicative of a very skilled speaker!" Luella shouted, stabbing her lettuce with a fork excitedly. She received several puzzle looks as Ayako tossed her hair over her shoulder with a smirk. "I'm sorry, I'm just… I get really excited by language, you see. I know, I know, it's odd. But, I am a professor of linguistics. I've been studying for nearly two decades now." After noting the uncertainty on Mai and Yasu's faces, she clarified, "Twenty years."

' _Oh! That makes sense now!'_ Mai thought to herself. Luella had been fascinated by the influx of new language and culture when they arrived. No wonder she kept giving them all strange looks and listened to them talk.

John flushed.

"I'm so sorry for not referring to you as doctor earlier, Luella!" he looked extremely sheepish. "I didn't know you were a doctor, as well." She waved a hand at him.

"No offense taken, Father."

Those who could speak enough English began bombarding her with questions about her work, which seemed to delight Luella. Mai understood the gist, but did not have much to offer. Instead, she turned her attention to eating. She reached for a fork, but paused. She had no idea which fork she was supposed to use.

" _The salad fork is the little one on the left side of the plate,"_ Naru murmured next to her. It was the first time he had spoken to her in months. Excitement bubbled in Mai's stomach, and she was about to thank him until he very bitterly added, _"In case you can't tell them apart."_ He took a bite of his salad. Mai's mouth fell open.

" _Excuse me?!"_

" _Nothing, Mai, don't make a scene. It's not polite,"_ he finished, taking a sip of his water. He still would not look at her. Polite?! Who was he to lecture her on being _polite?!_ She felt her pent up anger at him returning. Wordlessly, she began eating her salad rather violently. On the other side of Naru, Yasu looked extremely uncomfortable.

" _Naru, would you tell us about your thesis? I've been dying to know all about it!"_ Yasu attempted to change the subject.

" _Gladly,"_ he replied. _"I will even give you a copy later to read, if you'd like."_ Yasu's eyes glowed.

" _I could kiss you right now,"_ Yasu remarked, causing everyone who understood to laugh. Ayako translated for Martin and Luella, who laughed awkwardly.

The rest of the meal passed quickly as Naru discussed his work, switching back and forth between English and Japanese when necessary. He discussed a number of his findings from his research in Japan, citing the numerous theories he concocted and his plans about future testing. The spiritualists, professors, and Yasu were completely engrossed in the conversation, clearly enjoying themselves, while Mai sat silently. Naru's work was fascinating, but she was neither a scholar nor a qualified spiritualist, so she was left feeling extremely out of place. At least the food was delicious, she thought.

She was about to excuse herself to go to bed when Bou-san mentioned excitedly that Mai had clairvoyant dreams, snaring her into the conversation. Luella and Martin looked fascinated.

"Really?" Martin asked, sitting forward in his seat. "How interesting. How long have you been having them, Mai?" Mai's face turned red.

"Ah… Um… I begin dreaming on last year," she answered. She furrowed her brow. "I-I mean, _in_ last year. I am sorry, my English is bad," she covered her face.

"No, no, Mai, darling!" Luella cooed. "You are doing great, really. Please, keep talking. Take your time," she smiled. Mai smiled back, feeling a bit more empowered.

"Last year I would fell asleep in cases we, eh… Received. I had dreams about the cases that became true." Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at Naru to gauge his reaction, but his face was stoic as ever.

"Noll, you never mentioned to us that your secretary had abilities," Luella folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. Mai frowned. Of course he didn't.

"It must have slipped my mind. I apologize," he said contritely. Mai didn't believe it for a second. Having enough of his attitude for the evening, Mai asked to be excused.

"I am very tired, I would like to sleep," Mai said, hoping she did not sound rude; it was not her intention. Luella seemed to understand.

"Of course, dear! You must be exhausted. You all must be exhausted," Luella lamented, looking at all her guests. "You should all get some rest."

"You would like help?" Bou-san offered, standing up. Luella smiled and shook her head.

"No, but thank you very much, Mr. Takigawa. We will take care of it. Please, go get some sleep." He looked relieved and let out a yawn.

" _Well you heard her, I'm heading off to bed,"_ he addressed his friends. _"Sleep well,"_ he added, ruffling Mai's hair as he walked away from the table. Before exiting, he said, "Good sleep!" Ayako stifled a giggle. Mai stood up from the table, giving Naru a dirty look even though he wasn't looking. Without another word, she followed Bou-san out and back upstairs.

 **December 21** **st** **, 9:29 PM, London**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

One by one everyone trickled upstairs to go to sleep.

Mai again never bothered to turn her light on; she worked by the light of the Christmas tree. She took her time, changing into gray sweat pants and a long white night shirt, hearing her friends' doors closing one by one. She walked to look out her window for the first time.

"Wow _…"_ she mused. She looked out on the Davises' backyard, which was enormous. It was covered in a pristine blanket of snow and was nothing short of stunning. Across the entire back side of the main wing of the house was a half-circle stone patio. Along the stone railings stood several lampposts causing the falling snow to glitter, and in between each lamppost hung a strand of multi-colored Christmas lights.

 _"_ Luella sure loves Christma _s…"_ she pondered out loud. In the middle of the patio stood a large stone fountain with a snow covered figure in the center: an angel. It looked like a relatively new addition, as it appeared to be made from white marble instead of stone. _"_ I wonder _…"_ she shook her head, too tired to emotionally involve herself with whatever—or whomever—the angel might have represented. Instead, she grabbed her toothbrush and journeyed to the bathroom for her nightly routine.

On her way back to her room, she noticed a figure walking toward her in the faint glow of the Christmas lights above her. It was Naru, dressed in his black sleeping clothes. Both of them stopped when they noticed one another, a few feet apart. Their eyes met for a brief moment before she looked away, face flaming. For a moment, she forgot she was mad at him.

She would confront him about the letters and his stupid behavior some time, but she was too tired to yell. And man did she want to give it to him good.

"Uh… Hi," she stuttered awkwardly. "How uh… How are you?" she asked meekly. "It's been a while."

"It has," he agreed, avoiding her question.

"So…"

Silence. She looked him over from bottom to top, stopping at his cold, blue eyes. Striking as ever. She did not look away this time, but he did. Was he _embarrassed_?

"Shouldn't you be going to bed?"

"Uh… Oh, yeah, I guess…" she yawned, beginning the journey back to her bedroom. "Um… Good to see you…" she lied as she passed by him. She really _did_ wish it was good to see him.

But everything felt off.

And in that moment she hated herself for it. She missed him.

As she reached her threshold, he called out to her.

"Mai," she stopped, gripping the door knob. She looked at him, but his back was still turned away. He paused for a moment, as if he didn't actually know what to say. "I…" he paused again and sighed. "Sleep well, okay?" he finished before walking towards the bathroom again. She blinked, confused.

' _Well, that's better than nothing…_ ' she thought.


	6. December 22nd

_A/N: Chapter 6, folks! I want to thank everyone for their kind words, again! I really appreciate it. There are still about five more installments left in this story._

 _As always, enjoy! Follow/favorite me for more updates! I plan on plenty more._

 _Also, shameless plug again: If you like this story, you should check out my other short story, "Drip"! Violence/Horror warning. But still. You should totally check it out._

* * *

 **December 22** **nd** **, 7:30 AM, London**

 _(Primary language: English)_

Oliver laid in bed staring at his ceiling. Bright light from the morning sun (made even brighter from the fresh snow) peaked through a thin split between the black-out curtains draped over his window. He preferred complete darkness to get his best rest, as he was a very light sleeper.

Not that it mattered last night. It wasn't for a lack of trying, though. He was determined to fall asleep, and he did, just not at a respectable hour. His mind was too busy to allow that. He supposed he got two hours of sleep, at best. Luckily, he was used to functioning with few hours of sleep; his line of work was known for late nights and early mornings. Unlike Gene, who would get needlessly grumpy if he got less than five hours. One of his only faults, Oliver thought.

He sighed, pushing Gene to the back of his mind. He missed Gene, which was difficult enough in and of itself, but now Gene made him think of Mai. And Mai was what prevented him from getting sleep that night. He had spent a solid two hours trying to convince himself that Lin had been wrong and he was indeed _not_ in love with her, but by the time the third hour rolled around, he had run out of arguments. He hated that the only logical explanation for everything—the unfamiliar affection he developed for her, the unprecedented jealousy he felt when he realized that Mai loved Gene, the ache in his chest when he left her, his resistance to reading her letters—boiled down to one catalyst: _love._

He loved her.

And given what little he understood, he presumed he loved her _a lot._

Nothing made sense anymore, and it scared him. Not that he could admit that.

He wouldn't blame Mai for not wanting to have anything to do with him. He had been a complete prat and he knew it. If there ever was a chance she wanted him over Gene to begin with (and that was a big _if_ ), the likelihood was that he was too late now. Maybe that's what was best for her, he thought. He just couldn't compare to his brother. He felt his heart sink. Even if he was on his _best behavior,_ Oliver thought, it wouldn't change anything.

It couldn't.

Could it?

He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands before throwing his blankets off and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. He stood slowly, stretching briefly to loosen his tired muscles. He opened his curtains, blinding himself temporarily from the sudden invasion of light.

He ran a hand through his messy hair and grabbed his sleeping shirt, which he removed before bed, from the back of his desk chair and slipped it on as he exited his room to wander downstairs. He buttoned it as he walked. When he stepped onto the foyer, he heard clanking dishes from the kitchen. His mother, he assumed. He did not wish to associate with anyone this morning, but his desire for tea undercut his desire for isolation. He entered the kitchen with the lowest profile he could manage.

"Good morning, Noll!" Luella chimed from in front of the stove.

Damn it.

"Good morning, mum," he replied politely. He made his way to the cupboard with the teacups.

"Tea, dear?" Luella inquired, holding up a kettle she was about to heat.

 _Damn it._

"Please, if you don't mind," he answered, conceding defeat and accepting his fate. She nodded, smiling kindly. "Thank you."

"Of course. Here, have a seat and I'll get you something to eat," she said, gesturing to a seat at the breakfast nook built into the granite island.

"Don't trouble yourself, mum,"

"It's no trouble at all!" she returned, placing the kettle on the flames on the stove. She moved about the kitchen, preparing a space at the island to cut fresh fruit from the refrigerator. "Besides," she added, lobbing a ripe pineapple on the cutting board, "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." Oliver sighed. That's what he was afraid of. He knew his mother all too well. He folded his hands and put them on the counter in front of him, watching her closely.

"How did you sleep?" she asked, thrusting the knife through the top of the pineapple in one swift motion.

"Fine," he lied. "And yourself?"

"Well, thank you," she said distractedly, now focusing on her chopping. "Your friends are very pleasant."

"They are," he responded with a sigh. She looked up briefly with a curious look on her face before returning to her work.

"So, may I ask why you stormed off the other night when they arrived? That was very rude, Noll," she lectured.

"I know, I apologize for that," he said sincerely. He reflected briefly upon Lin's words from last night, and then added, "Thank you for inviting them." Luella smiled.

"Of course. I wanted to surprise you…" she stopped chopping and slid the chunks of pineapple into a bowl, catching his eyes for a moment. "I hope you aren't upset with me." She bit her lip.

"I'm not," he assured her. She sighed in relief and began her work on a honeydew melon. _'Not anymore,'_ he thought. He wasn't lying. He wasn't upset with her; he was upset with himself. He'd done this to himself.

She seemed to sense his apprehension.

"I don't want to overstep any boundaries, Noll, I just…" she sighed, scooping the seeds out of each half of the melon. "I just want you to be happy again…" she finished in nearly a whisper.

"What makes you think I'm unhappy?" he inquired, crossing his arms.

"You have not been yourself since—" she cut herself off abruptly, swallowing a lump that formed in her throat. He raised a hand to spare her the pain.

"I assure you, I'm fine. Like I have been telling you for months," his voice faltered a bit at the end of his sentence.

"Oh, come off it, Noll," Luella said, voice tetchy. He raised an eyebrow. Luella was not easily angered. She seemed to have surprised herself, too, as she immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm just at my wit's end with you." She set her knife down on the cutting board to begin rinsing an assortment of berries in the sink next to her. "I don't care what you say, you have _not_ been yourself, and I want to know why."

"I don't know what to tell you, mum," he replied, voice flat to conceal his guilt. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he could not bring himself to say it. It would only make her upset, and that's just one more set of emotions he was not prepared to deal with.

"Then tell me one thing," she demanded. She threw all the fruit in a bowl, tossing it violently, not looking at him. "Who is that little brown haired girl, Mai?" Oliver's eyes widened, confused. What did she know?

"I am not sure what you mean," he blinked. His heart rate quickened. "You already know her name."

"I _mean,_ " she started, scooping out some of the fruit mixture into two bowls. "Who is she to _you?"_ She stuck a fork in one of the bowls and slid it over to him.

"No one," he answered a little too quickly. She raised an eyebrow, grabbing a fork for herself.

"Oh really? You have an awful lot of feelings for someone who is _no one._ " She took a bit of pineapple indignantly, leaning against the counter now to stare him down. Oliver narrowed his eyes, leaning forward, keeping the straightest face he could manage.

"Perhaps," he retorted. There was no use lying; she was not going to relent.

"She's one of the one who has been writing you letters, right?" He nodded. "And have you answered any of those?" Silence. " _Noll,_ " she chastised.

"I know, I get it, I realize that I was rude," he countered, "But what do you expect? I'm not Gene." He finished bitterly. Luella's face softened.

"No, you're not Gene," she repeated, her voice quivering a bit. "But you're also not a rude person..."

"Sorry to disappoint you. I seem to do that to a lot of people."

The tea kettle whistled, jostling Luella out of her stupor. She moved to turn off the stove and prepare two cups of tea.

"No one expects you to be Gene, Oliver," she said while pouring the water into the cups. She dropped in little silver tea steepers and clipped them to the sides. She took both cups over to him, set them down, and pulled him into an warm, firm embrace. "You don't give yourself nearly enough credit." She squeezed him gently. He said nothing. "Your father and I are so proud of who you are, who you have become. And I know Gene would be, too." He tensed in her arms. "I don't want you to be Gene," her eyes welled with tears. "I want you to be Oliver, because I love Oliver." She pulled away. "Believe me."

"Okay," he supplied. She may have loved him and Gene the same, but the rest of the world evidently did not. But he was not about to explain that to her.

"You be nice to that girl; you hear me?" He blinked in response. She put her hands on her hips. "You love her, don't you?"

"I suppose you could say that," he murmured. She grinned impossibly wide.

"And she is your friend, right?" He pondered for a moment.

"If she doesn't hate me already," he shrugged. The thought discouraged him. Even if she didn't love him, he didn't want her to _hate_ him.

For some reason he was incapable of imagining his life without the loud, annoying, and stupid girl.

"Oh, I'm sure she doesn't hate you. She wouldn't be here if she hated you," she reasoned. He hoped she was right. He took his tea cup and held the steaming liquid to his lips, taking a long sip. "So, _be nice._ You will be spending quite a bit of time with her the next few days. _"_ She kissed him on his forehead, grabbed her bowl and cup, and bumped the kitchen door open to go sit in the parlor to finish her breakfast in peace.

Now what was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to magically know how to make things right when he didn't even fully understand what made them wrong in the first place?

Unrealistic.

But he could always do some research, he thought.

* * *

 **5:20 PM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

"An…opera?" Mai repeated.

"Yes!" Ayako cried, beaming. "The Davises have arranged for all of us to attend an opera at _Her Majesty's Theatre_ ," she stressed. "How fantastic is that?!"

"Uh… Well…" Mai began, glancing around at all her friends in the lush parlor. Luella sat next to Ayako on one of the velvety couches with a nervous smile, waiting.

" _That sounds wonderful, Luella!"_ John answered genuinely. _"I haven't been to the theatre in ages."_ Luella sighed in relief.

" _I have always wanted to go to Her Majesty's Theatre; it looks so beautiful in pictures. The opera… So cultured!"_ Ayako sighed nostalgically. Mai didn't need to understand English to know she was being dramatic. Luella did not seem to mind. In fact, she was drinking it up, clearly thrilled that her guests were excited for the plans she had made prior to their arrival.

" _Excellent!"_ she gushed. _"We will leave around 7:30. The show begins at 8:05, so that gives us plenty of time to get there and find our seats."_ She scurried off. For preparation, Mai assumed.

"The opera? Really? Isn't that just a bunch of fat ladies screaming at each other?" Mai asked incredulously. Ayako gasped.

"Have you lived under a rock your entire life, Mai? The opera is _art_. It tells a _story!"_

"Is it as dramatic as you? Because then I'll probably hate it." Bou-san jeered.

"Shut it!" Ayako snapped.

"Hey now, I was just messing around with you. I actually _want_ to go to the opera. It sounds interesting. What do you think, Yasu?" He was met with silence. Yasu had fallen asleep next to Bou-san on the couch for the third time that day. He had stayed up into the early hours of the morning reading the first half of Naru's thesis. "Hey, Yasu!" Bou-san shouted, swatting him up the back of the head. He lurched forward.

"Ow! Hey! Watch it!" He rubbed the back of his head, grimacing.

"Next time you're jet lagged, don't go to bed at 4:00 in the morning, idiot," Bou-san retorted. Yasu sighed.

"It was worth it," he shrugged. "I would do it again."

" _Anyways,_ " Ayako interjected. "I talked to our hostess a lot today while _some people,"_ she glanced at Bou-san and Yasu, "Were busy napping." The two of them exchanged a high five. "She has a lot planned for us the next few days. She's very excited."

"What else does she have planned?" Inquired Mai.

"Tomorrow she wants to take us around the city."

"That sounds fun!" Mai replied. John nodded in agreement.

"London is a beautiful city. There is a lot to do," he mused.

"Hey Mai, sounds like a great opportunity for some good old _alone time_ with Naru," Bou-san jested, nudging her with his elbow.

"Bou-san!" Mai flushed.

"Actually, I agree with Takigawa for once," Ayako said.

"Are you serious?!" Mai shrieked. "Whose side are you on?" She folded her arms.

"Yours, of course!" Ayako waved a hand at her. "That's why you should _definitely_ make a move." Mai harrumphed.

"Forget it!" she shouted. "I mean, even if I _wanted_ to spend time with him—and I'm not saying I do! —he has made it quite clear he doesn't want to spend time with _me,_ so," Mai shrugged. Ayako gave her an incredulous look. "What? He's avoided me all day! He barely even looks at me!"

It was true; ever since their run-in last night Naru had made it a point to exit the room whenever she entered.

"He might be self-conscious," suggested John.

"Naru? Self-conscious? Yeah right!" Mai laughed resentfully. "That's a funny joke."

"John might be on to something," Yasu noted. "Naru may be hard-headed, but even _he_ is not immune to the hell that is regret. Maybe seeing you makes him feel guilty." Mai hadn't considered that. What if Naru _did_ actually feel bad about how he acted? He was very self-aware, so there was a high probability this was the case. Mai sighed.

"Fine, I'll give him a _chance,_ " she conceded. "But he's about out of chances, let me tell you."

"Don't worry Mai, we've got your back," Bou-san cracked his knuckles. Everyone laughed. "But really, this will work out somehow. I can feel it in my bones." Mai was not entirely convinced, but she appreciated her friends' kindness. Ayako stood up suddenly, hands on her hips.

"The opera is a formal affair, so dress nicely, please. I don't want to be seen with a bunch of immature heathens," she asserted. "And I'm not talking about John or Mai." Yasu clutched his heart and Bou-san sat forward suddenly.

"I can't believe you would think so lowly of my fashion choices," Yasu bemoaned, at least half joking.

"And who are you calling immature?!" Bou-san accused. Ayako smirked.

" _Monk,"_ she said simply. Bou-san cackled. "I rest my case." She strolled out of the parlor towards the main foyer.

"Hey, that's not fair! That word is funny and you know it!" he called after her.

"Ayako, wait!" Mai jumped up to run after her. She caught her at the bottom of the stairs. Her face looked rather sheepish. "You said the opera is fancy, right?"

"Right."

"Well, I…" she gripped one of her arms, staring at her toes. "I don't have anything with me that would be considered formal…" she looked up, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I'm not really sure I have _any_ formal clothes at all… They're expensive, and, well…" Ayako laid a hand on her shoulder, smiling gently.

"Don't worry about it Mai. I'm sure I have something we can make work for you." Mai's face lit up.

"Really? You'll help me?"

"Of course, Mai. Besides," she added throwing her hand up pretentiously, "If your goal is to capture Naru's attention, you're going to need to learn a thing or two."

* * *

 **7:27 PM**

(Primary language: Japanese)

After Ayako was done getting ready herself, she helped Mai select out an outfit for herself out of her wardrobe. The results were spectacular. Mai barely recognized herself, looking in the mirror.

"I don't think I've ever looked so… _Expensive!"_ Mai opined. She turned around in a circle, trying to get a complete view of herself.

"I do have the magic touch, don't I?" Ayako boasted. "You're lucky I always pack extra."

Mai wasn't listening; she was too busy turning for herself in the mirror.

"Wow…" she whispered. She hadn't been that excited to go to the opera at first; going to watch a bunch of people scream at each other in a language she already has trouble understanding was not exactly her idea of fun. But now, she thought it was worth it just to get to see herself so dressed up. The money she saved—which wasn't a lot to begin with, especially after losing her job at SPR—went primarily towards rent and food, so dressy clothes were not exactly a priority. "Thank you so much, Ayako."

"Don't mention it," she replied, slipping a clip adorned with what looked like small diamonds into Mai's hair, clipping it gracefully off to the side. "Don't worry, they are cubic zirconia," she added, noting Mai's alarm.

Mai selected a plain, formfitting, dark royal blue dress with short off-the-shoulder sleeves. It was thigh-length on Ayako, so it fell elegantly just below Mai's knees. The dress was a few sizes too big for her due to her petite stature, so Ayako had bunched the dress in the back until it hugged Mai's waist and used a safety pin to hold it in place. To cover it up, she wore a gossamer black shawl over her shoulders (no one would even notice if she just didn't take it off all night, Ayako assured her). To compliment the simplicity of the dress, Ayako suggested a strand of white pearls that hung just below her throat with a matching bracelet and dangly pearl earrings. The only flaw in her ensemble was her shoes: Ayako's feet were significantly bigger than Mai's, so she was stuck wearing a pair of old, white sandals she had packed. Mai didn't mind, though. She didn't think anyone would notice her feet considering her transformation from the knees up.

"Are you ready?" Ayako asked, sliding her own white shawl over her shoulders. It contrasted beautifully with her long, red dress.

"Mm, yeah," Mai nodded. The two women made their way down the stairs. Bou-san, Yasu, and John were already waiting. Bou-san and John were wearing solid black suits and white ties (though John's was a bowtie), and Yasu wore and obnoxiously white suit with a red rose pinned to his lapel.

"Wow, you guys cleaned up really well. I'm surprised!" Ayako remarked, looking them all up and down. She raised an eyebrow at Yasu. "Did you just happen to have a white suit packed?"

"Actually, yes," he answered, adjusting his glasses. "I'm always prepared."

"He's lying, that's the only other suit we could find at the thrift store!" Bou-san shouted.

"Thrift store?" Mai questioned.

"Yeah, we had to go shopping because Ayako wouldn't have approved of the dress pants and button ups we had. Not _fancy_ enough. Not _mature_ enough," he said in a mocking tone that Mai guessed was supposed to sound like Ayako. She stifled a laugh. Ayako rolled her eyes.

"I still got my way, so who is the loser here?" Ayako huffed. Bou-san went silent, a sour look taking over his face. "Yeah, that's what I thought!"

"Don't worry guys, I think you all look handsome," Mai promised. "Especially considering you only had a few hours…"

"Not too shabby yourself, kid!" Bou-san went to ruffle her hair, but then stopped. "Man, you're too fancy to ruffle right now." He laughed.

A few moments later, Luella marched through the kitchen door, putting in one of her earrings as she walked.

 _"Perfect, right on time. Martin rang for three lifts; they should be here any moment!"_ she chimed excitedly _. "You all look lovely!"_

Martin emerged from the kitchen, straightening his tie. He opened the front door, letting in a cold breeze. Mai's bare legs got goosebumps.

 _"It's time to go, they are coming up the drive now,"_ Martin called back to everyone. Despite the fact that this was supposed to be fun, Mai felt very on edge; their punctuality would take some getting used to.

Everyone began filing out the front door into the falling snow.

 _"Noll! It's time to go!"_ Luella shouted up the stairs. " _Lock the door on your way out, would you dear?"_

* * *

 **7:29 PM**

Yasu, Bou-san, and John seated themselves in the first cab as Martin gave instructions to the driver through the open passenger door. As Luella passed Mai to go outside, she stopped next to her.

" _You look lovely, darling,"_ she said with a small smile. Mai blushed.

" _Th-thank you, Loo-ella. You, too_ ," she responded with an awkward smile, swallowing her anxiety. She wondered if she would ever stop getting nervous to speak English. She tilted her head a bit, confused by Luella's new expression. It looked like she was fighting the urge to full out grin, Mai thought.

" _Martin and I will be sharing a lift with Miss Matsuzaki. I hope it's alright that you will be sharing with Noll,"_ she said. Mai's heart skipped a beat, piecing together the words ' _share'_ and _"Noll.'_ She opened her mouth to say something, but could not think of a reasonable protest. Her palms started to sweat.

" _O-okay…"_ she stuttered.

" _Excellent,"_ she chimed. _"He'll be down in a moment, I'm sure."_ And with that she left Mai alone in the foyer, her shawl fluttering in the breeze from the open door.

The sudden sound of footsteps caught her attention. She looked up to find Naru descending the stairs. She felt her face redden even more. He looked absolutely dashing. He wore a well-tailored black suit with white cuffs. Under his suit jacket he wore a white shirt, accented by a tie with different shades of dark blue and black. She knew she was staring, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. Her body refused to cooperate with her mind.

Halfway down the stairs, he noticed Mai waiting on the foyer. He stopped with his feet on two different stairs, gripping the garland-covered banister lightly. He blinked slowly, taking a moment to take in her appearance. It took Mai a few moments to register that he was staring _back._

A few moments later, he cleared his throat and continued his descent, still not breaking their gaze. Once he reached the bottom, he approached her with great poise. He stopped an arm's length in front of her.

"Good evening," he greeted her calmly. She detected a hint of color on his cheeks. Perhaps it was the cold.

Yeah, that had to be it.

"Evening," she returned. "You…look really nice," she finished lamely, really unsure of what to say.

"Thank you," he acknowledged. "You look…different."

Different?! What was that supposed to mean?! Her bemusement must've been evident on her face, because he appeared to rethink his words.

"I mean, you look… very elegant," he amended. She smiled a bit. Better.

"Thank you," she nodded. "Are you ready to go? The taxi is waiting," she informed him, turning towards the door.

"No, but I suppose that doesn't matter," he shrugged, taking a few steps in front of her to march out onto the steps first. He jostled his key into the door. She stepped past him cautiously, taking care not to slip down the stairs. Once she reached the bottom, he shut the door, and turned the key.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't really want to go, either," she said with a weak laugh. He walked down the stairs, shoving the key in his breast pocket.

"Opera has never interested me; it was more of Gene's thing," he shrugged.

"Well, then, I suppose we can go be miserable together," she suggested. To her astonishment, he actually cracked a small smile. Almost indiscernible, but a smile nonetheless. Her entire body shuddered. She hated that he still had this kind of effect on her.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he agreed. He raised his arm gracefully, offering it to her. She did not move for a moment. "If you haven't noticed, I am being _nice_."

Mai shook her head to snap out of it.

"You know," she began, carefully placing her arm in his, "the niceness becomes pretentious when you _talk_ about how nice you're being."

"Duly noted," he answered, sounding surprisingly sincere. When they reached the cab, he opened the door for her.

"Thank you," she nodded at him, sliding onto the seat. Instead of taking the front seat like she expected, he walked around to the other side and climbed in next to her. She felt woozy, but he didn't seem to notice.

He was too busy reveling in the results of his research: she did not appear to hate him.

* * *

 **9:05 PM**

It was an hour into the opera, which Mai liked much more than she expected. She did not need to understand the singers (who sounded beautiful and not earsplitting) to appreciate the story they told. They had an extraordinary view from a loge suite on the third floor. On her right side, Yasu had passed out, his head drooped over the back of his chair. Luckily he wasn't snoring. To her left sat Naru, legs crossed and leaning on the left armrest. As much as she was enjoying the show, she still found herself incredibly puzzled by his behavior earlier. Her mind replayed the moments several times, but she just couldn't figure him out.

What a change he had made since the night before. Not that she was complaining. At least he wasn't ignoring her. She shrugged to herself and placed her arm on her left armrest, deciding to not look too much into it right now. There were too many unanswered question and she still had unsatisfied fury. No way she was letting him off that easy.

She heard Naru shift his weight in his seat. She felt a clad arm brush against her bare skin, causing her to shiver. She looked over, finding Naru's arm sharing the arm rest with her.

"Sorry, I'll move," she whispered. He shook his head.

"Don't, it's fine," he murmured. She promised herself not to look too far into that, either.

She had to fight the urge to grab his hand.

That struggle ended when he casually slipped his hand over hers.


	7. December 23rd

_A/N: Sorry for the delay! It was longer than usual. This week just went NUTS for me. I did not anticipate being so busy. But, regardless, here is chapter seven. Please enjoy! I don't know when the next update will be exactly, but I suspect within the next 5 days or so._

 _Also, totally shamelessly plugging again: If you like Business Better Left Unfinished, you should check out my two other Ghost Hunt one-shots!_

 _That is all. Carry on._

* * *

 **December 23** **rd** **, 8:00 AM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

"Honestly, Oliver, what is your problem?" Luella snapped. She stood in front of her son, who was leaning on the door frame of the kitchen with his arms crossed and eyes closed, tapping her foot impatiently. "Well?" She rubbed her hands on her apron, brushing off a bit of crusted pancake batter. Oliver huffed, raising a hand to rub his temple gently. He again had not slept well the night before, and after getting only five hours of sleep total in the last two days, he was now beginning to feel the consequences: his head was killing him and his patience was running extraordinarily thin.

He felt like he made a complete fool of himself last night, and his exhaustion only augmented his feelings of shame. He had tried to calculate his every move and every word in order to prevent Mai from becoming any more irate with him. At first, it seemed like it was going quite well; he would have gone as far as to say she might have been _enjoying_ her time with him. His confidence surged as the night wore on, leaving him actually believing he could fix the mess he made. That is, until he had an unfortunate lapse in judgement…

He didn't know why he did it. What was he thinking?

Perhaps that was the problem.

 _He wasn't thinking._

But of course _now_ it was all he could think about.

His hand had easily slid over hers. He remembered it feeling very cold under his palm. He kept his hand gently on top of hers for a few moments, testing to see if she would move it. She didn't, which he took as a good sign.

He should've stopped it there, but he didn't. He had not thought this far ahead. She discreetly turned her hand over, her cold palm now a stark contrast against his warmth, and pressed her delicate fingers gently through the spaces between his.

Despite his comeliness and popularity amongst young women, engaging in physical acts of affection with them felt asinine; he knew nothing of them and them nothing of him, and he found no appeal in superficial relationships.

Whenever he was with Gene, it was easy to distinguish between those with shallow intentions and those without. He had a theory—though he had tested it enough times with consistent results that he could probably call it a law by now—that as long as they were together and behaving like themselves, the women would transfer their attention completely to Gene. At first, the women usually devoted their attention to each twin equally. Unsurprisingly, as time passed, almost all of the women would gradually shift their attention away from Oliver. He postulated that he was not talkative or attentive enough for their tastes. However, he did not care because he saw no reason to change for people who only had an interest in his body. What was the point of pining after girls—girls who did not feel it necessary to get to know _him_ — to regain their attention when it was unsolicited in the first place?

The idea of romance did not disgust him and he was not opposed to it, he just figured after 18 years of solid evidence that it was simply not for him. So, logically, he devoted none of his time in coaching himself through the stages of a relationship. Thus, when Mai came along and gauchely destroyed one of his very expensive cameras, the results were blind-siding.

And then he blind-sided _himself_ by _holding her hand._ How senseless.

He refused to lose his composure, but something foreign swelled inside him and it was sucking the air right out of his lungs.

Was he _panicking?_

Too uncomfortable to keep holding her hand, too nervous to _let it go_ , too humiliated to look anywhere but at the theatre's stage…

He was panicking.

He was at a loss. This is exactly why he always ignored his feelings. What was the point of acknowledging them if he was just going to suffer? What a waste. He didn't have time for this. He needed to breathe, and that would not happen as long as he was touching her. So, he seized his hand away and tucked it safely in the crook of his elbow, savagely crossing his arms in the process.

" _Oliver,"_ Luella repeated, snapping him out of his thoughts. He did not open his eyes. "I'm waiting."

"I don't want to go," he replied frankly. Luella huffed.

"Why not? Site seeing is always _fun_!" she emphasized in an effort to persuade him.

"I live here, mum. I've already been to all those places," he shrugged. "That doesn't sound like fun to me." Luella narrowed her eyes at him before turning to tend to her pancakes on the griddle. She did not turn to look at him.

"You're going," she countered. "And you will have a good time with your friends." Oliver felt a rage burgeon in the pit of his stomach.

"No, I'm _not,_ " he retorted. Luella slammed her spatula on the counter and turned to glare at him.

"Excuse me? _No?"_ She repeated, voice rising dynamically. She paused for a moment, trying to come up with an argument. "We have guests."

" _You_ have guests," he corrected, voice flat.

"They are just as much your guests as they are mine. And what's more, they are your _friends!"_ She sighed loudly. "Eugene would've gone with us in a heartbeat." She muttered, putting a hand on her hip.

Oliver opened his eyes for the first time; they were completely cold. His silence was lost on her.

" _Fine,"_ he barked. She had clearly struck a nerve. "I'll go. Are you happy now?" He didn't bother to conceal the irritation in his voice. He pushed himself off the door frame hastily and shoved the swinging door outward so furiously it hit the wall. Luella shouted a mouthful of objections at him as he left, but he ignored her (something about a tantrum and crass behavior). He rolled his eyes, completely rapt in his own thoughts until he unexpectedly collided with a sleepy obstruction in front of him. It was Mai, who was still dressed in her pajamas and on her way into the kitchen.

" _Oh!"_ she yelped. Her cheeks reddened a bit. _"G-good morning, Naru!"_ she chimed happily without making eye contact. He said nothing for a moment, face still hardened. He let out a sigh and nodded at her in acknowledgement, letting his face soften. He brushed by her gently, and once he was a solid few feet away, he offered:

" _You have a hole in your pajamas."_

What?

He smacked his forehead with the heel of his palm and did not wait around for an answer.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

 **9:05 AM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

Yasu slammed a massive stack of papers down on the coffee table in front of Mai, keeping his hand flat on the top and leaning over towards her as far as he could. He was winded, Mai noticed, and his eyes were a bit bloodshot.

"Yasu, is everything okay?" Mai inquired, concerned. She uncrossed her legs and brushed the wrinkles out of her white sleep shirt. He took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"Everything… Is… _Great!"_ he shouted, causing Mai to jump. She stared at him, shocked and confused.

"Then why are you so out of breath? And why are your eyes red?" she crossed her arms. "Did you even sleep last night?"

"Of _course_ I slept!" he promised, feigning insult. "What do you take me for?" He made his way around the coffee table to take a seat next to Mai on the couch.

"Okay, so you slept," she conceded. "How _long?"_

"Six and a half hours!" he exclaimed proudly. "That's two more than yesterday!" She shook her head and rolled her eyes with a sardonic smile on her face. She had no idea how he could be so chipper with such little sleep. She almost envied him; she slept for a full eight hours and still woke up feeling like a tatty old hag.

"So then what's up?" Mai asked. Yasu pulled the stack of paper towards them, which she then noticed were nominally bound together. She peered at the cover, which was littered in English words she could not understand. The only words she recognized were _'Oliver Davis.'_ His thesis, she deduced. Yasu flipped the packet open to the last page: page 237. Stupid nerd, Mai thought.

"Look! Right there," he pointed at a jumble of words towards the bottom of the page, which he had circled several times in red ink. Mai started at it blankly.

"What am I looking at?" He thumped the side of her head playfully.

"Dummy, it's Naru's bibliography! _Look."_

Mai leaned in closer, scanning through all the words to find ones she recognized. Again, just two words.

"Yasuhara, Osamu?" she read aloud. "Your name?"

She clearly was not understanding the point. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to look into his eyes. He looked amusingly desperate.

"My name. _My_ name. In _Naru's bibliography,_ " he expounded. She blinked again. "Naru used me as a source in his thesis!" he finally explained.

"Oh!" Mai's eyes lit up in understanding. "Yasu, that's…great!" she cheered. It excited him, so it excited her, too.

"I know!" he yelled. "This is the best day ever. I am so glad I stayed up to read through this. So worth it," he said, still holding onto her shoulders. "Even if I didn't understand all of it. But how awesome is this?!" His eyes were full of delight.

"I'm happy for you! That's exciting, being mentioned in the thesis of a renowned doctor of parapsychology." The words felt strange rolling off her tongue. It was odd to talk about Naru like that, like some extraneous, anonymous celebrity.

"I know, right? It was exciting enough when he called me to ask for my documents, but I never thought he would mention me as a source! Me, a lowly peasant," he crooned.

"Oh, stop that," Mai wagged her finger at him. "You're being melodramatic."

"I have every right to be—!" She began tuning out his theatrical griping. She took a moment to reflect on his words. _'When he called me…'_ Her heart sunk; she'd somehow almost forgotten how Naru had ignored her, and in the wake of recent events, it ached even worse than before.

The events of last night seemed so surreal. Before the opera, he _flirted_ with her! In his awkward, Naru way, but nevertheless, _flirted_! She honestly found it endearing. But also confusing. He went from completely ignoring her to _holding her hand._ It was petrifying, but magnificent. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was displaying interest in her for some convoluted goddamned reason. But when she tried to hold his hand back, he pulled away like she had insulted him.

 _What the hell?_

Her despondence must have shown on her face.

"Mai, is everything okay?" Yasu queried interrupting his monologue.

"What? Oh, yeah," she assured feebly with a small smile. "Everything is…great." He crossed his arms.

"What happened with Naru?" he demanded. Her face turned scarlet.

"Who said it has anything to do with Naru?"

"So you admit there _is_ something?" he smiled mischievously. She sighed exasperatedly. Why was he so good at that?

"Look, it's nothing, okay? It's just…awkward," she shrugged.

"He has been pretty stilted around you, since we got here…" he agreed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Has something happened?"

"No!" she squealed. He rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh," he said cynically. "Honestly, you should just talk to him. Get him to yourself while we're out today," he suggested. "What's the worst that could happen?" Mai snorted.

"He could do it all over again," she replied. "Everything, I mean. I don't want that to happen again…" she shuddered at the thought of reliving that heartache.

"What's worse? Trying and failing, or doing nothing and wondering _forever_?"

"You sound like a fortune cookie, Yasu," Mai teased. But she knew that he was probably right. She sighed. "We'll see, okay? I can't talk to him if he won't talk to me."

"You know Naru. He's not great at talking to people. Try and be patient with him, as hard as that is," he recommended. "Maybe you can work it out once it feels a bit more… normal again."

"Okay…" she agreed warily. "But if he ends up hating me I am blaming you, okay?" Yasu laughed.

"I expected nothing less."

* * *

 **11:22 AM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

"C'mon, Ayako, hurry up!" Bou-san moaned. He was leaning awkwardly to the side, like he was leaning against an invisible wall. "This hurts!" Ayako made no move to snap the picture, snickering at his suffering. _"AYAKO,"_ he thundered.

"Fine, fine, one second!" she adjusted the camera and took the picture. "All done, idiot." He sighed and straightened up, cracking his back and dramatically moaning. Mai stood behind Ayako, giggling into her hand. Bou-san had made it a point to take the most touristy picture he could at every site they visited. Currently, they were some distance away from the Big Ben clock tower, against which he pretended to lean. He received a lot of disdainful stares. It didn't seem to bother him one bit. Ayako approached him and shoved the camera into his hands. "You're an embarrassment, Takigawa," she claimed.

"But I am _your_ embarrassment," he pointed out. She spat some choice words at him in English so he could not understand. He shrugged and strolled over to John and Yasu, who were chatting with Martin (though John did most of the talking). Luella, Mai, and Ayako followed suit to begin their trek to their next destination: Trafalgar Square. Naru walked on the periphery of the group by himself, not looking particularly thrilled. Bou-san slowed his stride a bit to walk next to Mai. He bumped her with his hip.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "What was that for?" He smiled devilishly, then signaled with his eyes for her to look behind. She looked over her shoulder to find Naru. Of course. She narrowed her eyes at the old monk. "Really?"

"Really," he confirmed. "C'mon, everyone is here and we all know Naru refuses to make a scene in public." Mai huffed.

"Will it get everyone off my back?"

He shrugged.

"Perhaps," he replied, bumping her with his hip again, this time hard enough that she stumbled a bit to the side. She felt her face go hot, even in the brisk winter wind.

"You're the worst, Bou-san," Mai professed, mostly joking. She glanced behind her again, meeting Naru's eyes. He had been looking at her. She didn't think it was possible to turn any redder.

She was wrong.

She reduced her pace a bit to match his. For someone with much longer legs than her, he sure knew how to take his time.

"Hi," she greeted, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hello," he equated.

They walked in awkward silence for a few moments.

"London is really beautiful," Mai observed, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah, I suppose," he agreed.

"I hope we can see the palace," she imparted. "Um… _Booking-ham?"_ His lips twisted into a small smirk, amused.

" _Buckingham,_ yes," he confirmed. They walked again in silence, but this time it was not awkward.

"What's your favorite place in London, Naru?" she queried. He deliberated for a moment.

"Probably Westminster Abbey," he answered. "It was Gene's favorite, too," he added, his voice just barely tinged with grief. His expression did not change. "But I just like the architecture." He shrugged, diverting the subject. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets. Mai watched him for a moment as they continued to walk.

"Can we go see it today?"

"Probably. It is not that far from the square," he shrugged again. "I've already seen it enough times." Mai offered a weak laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you would, living here and all," she mused, shoving her cold hands under her arms to warm them. Too bad he couldn't choose right _now_ to be confusing and hold her hand. His was so… _cozy._

"Try explaining that to my mother," he quipped, voice low. To Mai's delight, he was visibly relaxing. His rigid shoulders relaxed and he was not so insistent on looking anywhere but at her.

"You didn't want to come today?" she asked. Perhaps that was the wrong question, she noted; he tensed up again, like he was hiding something.

"Like I said. I've seen it enough times. It's nothing new to me," he deadpanned. She decided to drop the subject. They walked in silence for the remainder of the trek. She prayed that Naru did not notice Bou-san or Yasu glancing back at them smugly. If he did, he did not let on.

The group finally arrived at Trafalgar Square, squeezing their way through the throng of people to reach the space between two enormous fountains in the center. The square was breathtaking, Mai thought. She did not know what she was expecting, but it was nothing quite like that. In the center stood a tall, elaborately decorated Christmas tree she imagined would be even more beautiful at night. The square was surrounded by ornate Romanesque buildings; she couldn't imagine where they start.

" _Okay, so we are really close to some of the more popular sites in London,"_ Luella remarked, scrutinizing a tourist map. _"We could start with the immediate buildings,"_ she suggested, gesturing outwards with her free hand without looking up from the map. " _And then make outward. It can be a bit of a slog on foot, but I think that it's a better experience to walk!"_ Bou-san groaned.

Ultimately, everyone agreed (however begrudgingly) to walk and they made their way through several fascinating sites. Naru kept silent, but Luella had heaps to say at each place they stopped. Mai appreciated it, especially because Luella made sure that she and Yasu were able to understand the bulk of what she said.

Around 1:30, the group stopped at a quaint teashop for a light lunch. Mai was seated between Luella and Naru, the former of whom coached her through the food ordering process so she felt confident enough to do it herself. And she did, albeit with slight difficulty. Nevertheless, Mai was proud of herself.

" _Thank you, Loo-ella,"_ Mai said after the waiter had taken his leave.

" _Of course, Mai! It's my pleasure,"_ she replied, smiling kindly.

" _Ah, Loo-ella…"_ Mai began, _"We can…"_ she furrowed her brow in concentration, trying to pronounce her words accurately. _"We can going to, ah… West-minster Abbey?"_ She punctuated her question with a sigh of relief.

" _Oh, well…"_ Luella glanced around at the rest of the group. _"I think we were going to go to Buckingham Palace next. They are in opposite directions."_

" _Oh,"_ Mai blushed, feeling a bit self-conscious. _"O-okay."_

Luella looked lost in thought for a moment, and then side-glanced at Naru with a wily smile.

" _Unless Noll would be willing to take you,"_ she mused. Naru snapped his head up and looked at his mother, face unreadable. _"I'm sure you he would be happy to, wouldn't you, Noll?"_ Mai noticed something unfamiliar flicker in his normally inscrutable eyes, but before she could identify it, it was gone.

* * *

 **1:42 PM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

Oliver stared at his mother intensely, a stint of insecurity jolting through his body. He pushed it away immediately, annoyed at himself for his impotence. He knew what she was doing, and he was irritated that he could see no way out.

"The rest of us will go to Buckingham while you two visit the church,"she explained. "And then you can _go home_ ,"she added, referencing his unwillingness from that morning. "We will meet you there. I'm sure Mr. Takigawa will take lots of pictures for you, Mai,"Luella giggled a bit. Bou-san looked up at the mention of his name.

" _What'd I miss?"_

"You will take pictures of the palace for Mai, right? "Luella asked, detecting his obliviousness. "She would like to go to Westminster Abbey with _Oliver_." She emphasized. Oliver thanked whatever divinity that Mai was unfamiliar with the complexities of English linguistics, or she without a doubt would have detected the conniving plan his mother was instigating; she was not even trying to be subtle.

Bou-san raised an eyebrow, mirroring Luella's devious grin.

" _Is that so?"_ he directed at Mai, and then shifted his gaze to Luella. "I will take much pictures,"he confirmed. Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"So, Noll?" Luella quizzed. Mai appeared overwhelmed by the torrent of English.

He contemplated protesting. She was sticking her nose in business in which she had no right to meddle. He had decided that morning if he never put himself in another position where he and Mai were _alone_ , he could successfully endure the remainder of their visit without needing to address all the outstanding feelings, both old and new. It would be better that way.

Probably.

He was about to object when he recalled his mother's words from that morning. _'Gene would've gone with us in a heartbeat…'_ A familiar pain constricted his chest. She may have ardently denied it yesterday, but Oliver heard her memorandum loud and clear: she wished he was Gene. And he remembered, so did Mai.

Perhaps it was just time to acknowledge that no matter what he said or did, everyone would always compare him to his brother. He on more than one occasion heard people refer to Gene as his better half. He took a deep breath to repress his growing sense of inadequacy. What a useless feeling.

"Fine _,"_ he yielded. His mother looked relieved.

"Good! Then it's settled!"

* * *

 **2:24 PM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

"Are you sure you want to go to Westminster instead of the palace?" Naru tested. "You mentioned wanting to see the palace earlier."

He looked exceptionally uncomfortable, Mai thought.

"You said earlier it was your favorite place in London, so I want to see it," she pledged. "I-I mean, if you want…"

He sighed.

"Okay," he responded simply and began walking. Mai blinked. _'That was easier than I imagined,'_ she thought. She jogged a bit to catch up to his side. They walked in peace for a few minutes.

"Thank you for taking me," she looked at him. He peered at her out of the corner of his eye and nodded. "Naru… What exactly _is_ Westminster Abbey?" She asked sheepishly, anticipating a barrage of _'are you stupid?'_ s. He looked down at her as they walked.

"It's a church," he replied. "It is one of the most notable religious buildings in the United Kingdom and has been the traditional place of coronation and burial of British monarchs."

"Oh, that's really interesting!" Mai responded, though she was more fascinated by _his_ fascination. He was actually talking in full paragraphs. He continued explaining the history behind the religious site and she made no move to interrupt him, except to ask questions. He talked for the remainder of their walk.

He was right; the church was magnificent.

"Wow, that's incredible! I've never seen anything like this, at least not in person," she confessed in wonder, drinking in the elegant design. With the multitudes of people marching by, she stepped close to Naru. "I'm glad you took me here."

He looked down at her, turning his body towards her very slightly.

"You're having fun?" He questioned.

"Of _course_ I'm having fun. This is really nice. Aren't _you_ having fun?"

"I don't hate it," he shrugged. That was close enough for Mai. They wandered through the interior of the church in silent reverence. The ceilings were intricately carved and exquisite draperies and flags hung everywhere. It may have been the most visually-alluring building Mai had ever seen.

The masses of people were gone, but she stayed close to Naru anyway. Their arms brushed against one another more than once, and she noticed he recoiled slightly each time.

As much as she was enjoying herself, she could not keep her concerns buried forever. He outright rejected her before he left (projecting _her_ love onto his brother), completely ignored her for months, held _her_ hand and retreated when she returned the gesture, and now he walked around like nothing happened with a pole shoved so far up his ass she could almost see it in his eyes.

She just could not make sense of it, and she needed answers.

They exited the church after a full walk-through. Mai decided she would take advantage of their private travel home to extract some information from him. She expected they would be walking at least part of the way. They ambled out of the massive baroque entryway, and with her heart pounding and palms sweating, she decided to come out-and-out with it.

"Naru, can we ta—"

" _Oi!_ _Gene!"_ an unfamiliar voice called somewhere out in the distance in front of them. The two of them stopped suddenly. Naru narrowed his eyes and surveyed the area contemptuously. The stranger couldn't actually be addressing them, could they? It had to be a coincidence.

" _Gene!"_ the voice yelled again, closer this time. Mai looked around and spotted a young man somewhere in his early 20's approaching them, waving. The man was a few inches taller than Naru with much broader shoulders and short sandy hair. Mai did not recognize him. Mai's heart plummeted in her chest. She felt physically uncomfortable. She looked at Naru's face, which had since returned to its characteristic vacuous expression. The man stopped a few feet away, grinning crookedly.

" _Gene, it's me—_ " he started before Naru cut him off.

" _Dylan Sharp,"_ he interposed. _"I remember you."_

" _Yeah, that's right!"_ he answered, clearly thrilled he remembered him. He loosened the red scarf that hung from his neck and rubbed the creases out of his gray woolen sweater. _"I just got back from my studies in Germany. We used to study a lot with—"_ Naru held up a hand to silence him. Mai had no trouble following the conversation, but she certainly wished she did.

" _I'm not Gene,"_ he disclosed, bitterness lacing his words. Dylan looked very embarrassed.

" _Oh,"_ Dylan paused, clearly disappointed. _"Sorry, Oliver, right? You used to study with us, too. I'm sorry, you two look—"_

" _The same?"_ he jeered. Dylan looked taken aback.

" _Yeah…_ " he shifted on his feet uncomfortably, hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. _"You were with a girl,"_ he gestured with his head at Mai, _"So I just assumed…"_ He trailed off, realizing he was digging himself a hole. He cleared his throat. " _So how is Gene?"_ Mai noted that he had not once inquired about Naru's well-being, which she found odd seeing as he was the one present and if they studied together, they were likely acquaintances of some sort.

" _Dead,"_ he uttered, face still showing no sign of emotion. He folded his arms. Dylan wheezed quietly, not quite processing the news.

" _What do you mean 'dead?'"_ he sputtered.

" _I mean,_ _ **dead**_ _,"_ he spat with such venom that Mai flinched. She looked at Dylan, who looked like he'd rather vaporize than continue that conversation. The following quiescence was deafening.

" _I-I'm sorry, I've been gone, I didn't know,"_ he stammered.

" _Evidently,"_ Naru sneered. He waited a few moments to see if Dylan had anything else to say, but he stayed silent, staring at the ground.

" _It was good to see you too, Dylan,"_ he replied, dismissing himself from the conversation. He pushed Dylan out of the way effortlessly as he departed, leaving him utterly stupefied. Mai stared after Naru in shock, not knowing if she should be angry or upset.

"Naru!" she called after him. Realizing he was not stopping, she sprinted to catch up with him. She walked hastily by his side to keep up. She observed his face. It was still blank, but he radiated a fusion fury and consternation. "Naru, are you okay?" She realized it was a stupid question.

"I'm _fine,_ " he hissed. "He was just…stupid, and stupid people aggravate me." Mai grabbed onto his coat sleeve to stop him, but he ripped his arm away. "Take a hint, Mai." He scoffed and continued walking.

* * *

 **7:56 PM**

 _(Primary language: English)_

That evening Luella and Martin ordered take-away pizza for dinner because cooking for eight on short notice was a miracle of which even she was not capable. She was embarrassed by the lack of panache, but everyone assured her it was more than adequate. She did not look entirely convinced, but she let it go anyway. After everyone finished eating and Mai and John volunteered to help with the small amount of dishes, Luella brought into the parlor a tray of tea and fresh biscuits she picked up on the way home.

The atmosphere was particularly jovial that evening. A warm fire burned in the gray stone hearth, a beautiful Christmas tree projected a comfortable light through the room, and everyone found a spot to sit around the coffee table in front of the fireplace, chattering happily. Luella and Ayako shared a love seat. Bou-san sat on the floor against Ayako's legs, one leg extended and one bent with an arm resting on it comfortably limp. To the left of the couch sat Martin in a cozy arm chair. Across from them on a matching sofa sat John, Yasu, Mai, about 3 feet of space, and Oliver. His legs were crossed and arms were folded, trying to be as far away from people as he physically could without being reprimanded by his mother.

He seemed a bit touchy, so she compromised and let him isolate himself on the couch in order to avoid conflict.

The other three on his couch scrolled through the pictures on Bou-san's camera, laughing at the assortment of poses he managed to capture throughout the day.

" _Bou-san, how did your body even_ bend _that way_?" Mai questioned, unsure if she actually wanted to know the answer. She passed the camera off to Yasu to continue scrolling, needing a moment to catch her breath from too much mirth. Though trying to be discrete, Oliver caught her glancing pithily at him. He pretended not to notice.

He already felt unreasonably unsettled by the events of that afternoon, and he did _not_ need anyone else to bring attention to it. It wasn't worth vexing himself over, he concluded. He and Gene looked identical, so it is not unreasonable for someone who did not know Gene was dead to mistake them for one another.

' _But people did not have that problem while he was alive,'_ he thought. Their personalities were too strong for others not to be able to tell them apart for long. The only explanation he could think of was that it was Dylan's wishful thinking. And Oliver was sure he was not alone in that regard.

He also reasoned that he and Dylan were not friends—hell, saying they _studied_ together was already pushing it; _Oliver_ studied while Dylan blathered away. That would account for Dylan's disinterest in his well-being.

That would have been a convincing argument if the people who used to speak to him while Gene was around had not disappeared as soon as the funeral ended. He tried to keep up with the interactions like Gene, but it was difficult to talk to them when he had not been the one initially maintaining the relations. They never seemed overly interested in him, anyways. It was just a fact that Gene had a more attractive personality.

Why was he even analyzing that incident? It was stupid. And he _definitely_ did not feel slighted or jealous.

Definitely not.

He did not want her pity.

Especially when she herself preferred Gene.

* * *

 **8:00 PM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

During a lull in the conversation, Mai let her eyes wander, looking for nothing in particular. They fell upon an opulently framed photograph on the mantel of the fireplace. She stood up carefully so as not to interrupt any resuming conversations, for some reason very curious about the photograph's subjects. She examined it closely. It was a Davis family photo; Martin and Luella sat in front of their two sons, all of whom were dressed regally in royal blue against a gray background. Seeing both brothers jarred her for a moment, evoking a strange sense of longing.

At first glance, the two were indistinguishable. They both wore the same blue dress shirt and black pants and shared nearly identical subtle smiles. But upon closer scrutiny, it was very easy for Mai to determine which twin was which. Gene stood on the right side of the picture behind his mother. His hair was neater kept than Naru's, and it framed his face in a way that slightly accentuated the fact that his jawline was a touch sharper than his brother's. She'd always thought it would be the other way around. His eyes were the same shade of striking blue, but…they just weren't like Naru's. Naru's were just different, somehow.

Naru stood on the left behind his father. She identified the slight dishevelment of his hair, noting the softer curvature of his jaw (though it was still quite angular). How odd it was to see him not wearing all black and, of all things, smiling. It wasn't the kind, tender smile she was used to from Gene, but it was just as alluring. It was not uninviting or caustic as many would guess, but rather it seemed to her to challenge the world to try and undermine his confidence. It was _handsome_ , and a true shame he did not show it more. But that's just the way he was.

And she loved it.

"Loo-ella, is this Gene?" Mai questioned, though she already knew the answer. Naru looked up at mention of his brother's name.

"Hm? Oh!" Luella piped. "Yes, it is. Would you bring that picture to me?" She requested. Mai obliged, but Naru's stare made her feel like she had touched some sacred relic she had no business handling. She shrugged it off and handed the frame to Luella and stood behind the couch to observe it with her. Ayako leaned over to get a closer look.

"Wow, it's like looking at two Gene's!" she remarked. Mai balked internally, really hoping Naru would not take that the wrong way considering earlier events. She remembered saying almost those exact words when his parents had briefly showed her a photo of the two together before leaving Japan.

She regretted that now.

Luella chuckled lightly, smiling sadly.

" _Let me see!"_ Bou-san demanded, reaching his head up behind him, waiting for Ayako to put it in his hand. When nothing entered his hands, he added, "Pri-tee pleese," in his rugged English. She snickered and shoved it into his hand. He looked it over. _"It's a nice picture,"_ he said, indicating for Ayako to translate.

"Thank you…" Luella replied gratuitously. She sighed forlornly. Ayako placed a comforting hand on her back. In an effort to conjure good memories, Mai probed:

"What person was Gene?" She hoped she said it right. If she didn't, Luella still seemed to understand.

"Thank you for asking, Mai," she folded her hands in her lap. "He was a great son. So talented, too…" she trailed off wistfully. "He was a very charming young man. He got along with everyone…" tears began to swell in her eyes. She dabbed at them with her sleeve. "I'm so sorry, it's just—" Ayako shook her head to stop her.

"Don't be sorry. I am sure this has been very hard for your family," she soothed. Luella nodded, dabbing her eyes again.

"It just still feels like yesterday… It always feels like something is missing," she explained. Everyone nodded in understanding. "I sometimes still feel like I'm waiting for him to come home, to call, or something…" she sniffled. "I miss him." She concluded, crying very softly. Mai's heart broke for her. She knew what it was like to lose someone so close. She fingered the old house key she kept for good luck in her pocket out of habit. Luella stopped talking for a while, trying to compose herself again. Mai glanced up at Naru's spot on the couch, but he was gone. She heard the door leading to their back patio bang shut.

* * *

 **8:17 PM**

 _(Primary language: Japanese)_

Leaving the room felt like second nature to Oliver. He was on his feet before he even processed what he was doing. Hearing his mother talk about how much she missed Gene poured salt into wounds he didn't even know he had.

This wasn't the first time he'd left a conversation like this. He wasn't proud of it, but he just felt like he shouldn't stay in the room anymore. He missed Gene, too.

But talking about it made him incredibly uncomfortable.

And given that he already felt like he was losing control over his sanity, he just needed to get out. For his, and everyone else's sake.

His feet led him out onto the back patio into a few inches of snow. He did not have on proper attire, it was snowing again, and it was very cold, but he did not care. He was more comfortable outside. Now that he was out there, he did not know what he should be doing. He wandered toward the stone fountain in the patio's center, his pale skin reflecting in the light of the strands of Christmas lights from above. He stared at the marble angel his mother insisted on adding to the fountain in memorial of Gene. He thought it was a silly gesture. They did not need a piece of stone to remember Gene.

They already had one in the cemetery, and that was enough of a reminder.

He sighed deeply, watching his breath freeze in front of him. He shivered.

The sound of the patio door opening and closing caught his attention. He turned his body enough to identify the intruder. It was Mai, holding a cup of steaming tea. Her eyes shone in the lights above her head. He stared blankly before turning back around again. He heard her feet crunch in the snow behind him, stopping a few feet away.

"Naru…" she started. "I brought you tea. Just the way you like it, boss…" she joked, hoping to lighten the mood. It didn't work, but that was to be expected.

"No, thank you," he replied flatly. She sighed softly. She crouched a bit to brush a section of snow off the fountain's edge on which she could set the tea, just in case he changed his mind. She shoved her now freezing hand under her armpit for warmth.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Not particularly," he answered blandly. She sighed again.

"Are you sure?"

"How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? _No,"_ he repeated, voice dripping with irritation. She frowned and folded both her arms, still keeping her hand buried for warmth.

"Yeah, well, I want to talk to _you,_ Naru," she countered.

"I'm _honored,_ " he retorted mockingly.

"Why do you always have to do that?" she demanded. She waited for an answer, tapping her foot impatiently. "I asked you a question."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied.

"Oh _stop_ , Naru. You know exactly what I mean. You are so disrespectful to me! What have I ever done to you?"

He closed his eyes, attempting to extinguish the flame he felt flickering in his chest.

"Naru!"

He merely shrugged. She groused in indignation.

"Damn it, Naru, _answer me!"_ she yelled. "This isn't fair!"

He lost it.

He snapped his eyes open and whirled around to face her, eyes full of wrath. It scared her, but she did not look away.

"You want to talk about _fair,_ Mai?!" he shouted. "Then you picked the wrong person," he seethed.

She raised her voice to match his.

"You are insufferable, Naru! You know that?! I don't deserve the way you treat me!" she declared. "It's. Un. _Fair."_ She put her hands on her hips, hoping she got under his skin.

"You know what isn't _fair,_ Mai?"

"Enlighten me!"

" _My brother is dead!"_ he roared. She widened her eyes, momentarily speechless. She had never seen him so angry. "Gene is _gone_! I watched him die, Mai," he explained. "And I _felt_ it. _That's_ unfair."

"Then why are you mad at me, Naru? I'm not the one responsible! _I didn't kill Gene!"_ She regretted the words as soon as they came out.

"Are you fucking stupid, Mai?" he shouted, throwing his arms out, as if challenging her to answer. She recoiled at his profanity. "I know that!"

"Then what the hell, Naru?!" she yelled, mirroring him.

"I'm not mad at _you,"_ he admitted. "I don't know who I'm angry at." His arms fell to his sides and his voice dropped back to normal, feeling defeated. "I think I'm angry at _myself."_

Mai tilted her head curiously and took a few steps forward.

"Why are you angry with yourself?"

"Because I don't know how to handle this," he admitted.

"Handle what, exactly?"

" _Everything!"_ he bellowed. "It's stupid to feel upset. I have nothing to be upset about. I am pathetic," he finished.

"Naru, no you're not," she asserted. "If anyone ever had the right to be upset, it was you."

He shook his head.

"You don't understand," he alleged.

"Then make me understand, Naru," she insisted, trying to keep her voice steady. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly.

"It's a waste of time," he replied. She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised a hand to stop her. "No one can bring Gene back. I can't un-see what I did." He paused. "And I'm _sorry,_ but I'm not Gene." He added bitterly.

"First of all, you're allowed to _grieve_ for your own brother, especially after what you've been through. And you call _me_ the stupid one," she shook her head, almost laughing. "And second of all, what do you mean ' _sorry you're not Gene?'"_ She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't feel the need to explain it," he looked off to the side.

"Oh well you _better_ feel like explaining it _Oliver Davis,"_ she spat. He looked up, but not at her. She had never called him by his real name before. He felt strange.

"Mai…" he tried. How was he supposed to explain this without looking like a fool? After deliberating momentarily, the best he could come up with was, "Everyone wishes it was me instead of Gene." Now that he said it out loud, his pent up feelings of inferiority flooded his body. His breath hitched in his throat.

"Naru!" Mai shouted accusatorily. "How could you say that?! That is _not_ true!"

"Yes, it is. Everyone always preferred Gene, Mai. You even said so yourself back in Japan. It makes _sense_ for everyone to choose the one of us with the better personality."

"Don't twist my words around on me!"

"I'm not twisting them. _You said them,"_ he stressed.

"That isn't what I meant!"

"What else could it possibly mean, Mai?" he folded his arms again, narrowing his eyes.

"Naru, are you dense?!" she threw her hands above her head. "I don't wish you were Gene! And I'm sure most everyone else would agree with me! Is that what this is all about?" She stomped up to him and put her finger in his face. "Is that why you're being rude to me? Why you've been ignoring me?" she pursed her lips. "But you responded to everyone else, so that doesn't make sense…" She groaned and shoved him backwards. He had not been expecting it and almost slipped on his back, barely catching himself at the last minute. He was shocked by her aggression. "I don't understand you."

"Whatever," he dismissed. He regained his poise and and brushed some snow off his sleeves.

" _Whatever?!"_ she shrieked, face flaming. "You ignored _me!_ And then you try to act like nothing happened! And then you tried to hold my hand?!" She swore she saw him blush. "But then you pulled away from _me,_ like I did something wrong! Can I even win with you, Naru?"

"What I did yesterday was stupid," he agreed. "I don't know why I did that. It just shouldn't have happened."

"Yeah, well, _it did._ Why the hell were you flirting with me?" she poked him in his chest. He blinked.

"I wasn't flirting," he said credulously, white as a ghost. Mai laughed ironically.

"So you're telling me you did that because _we're friends?"_ He couldn't think of an appropriate answer.

"You love Gene," he blurted. She shoved him again.

"How _dare_ you?! Are you still on about that?!" she took a deep breath, rubbing her temples. "Did you even pay attention to my letters?" He said nothing. Her face fell. "Did you even… _read_ my letters…?" Silence. "Oh. My. _God._ You didn't read them! You… _You jerk!"_ she bellowed. She moved to shove him again, but he caught her by the wrists gently. He could see the tears brimming in her brown eyes. A pang of guilt pierced his chest.

"I—" he started.

" _No,"_ she fumed. "Just, stop talking," she demanded, ripping her arms away from him. Despite her best effort, the tears raced down her cheeks. "I can't believe you. I have done _nothing_ but love you and this is what I get?" her voice trembled.

"…Me?" he sputtered stupidly.

"That's what I've been _trying_ to tell you but you won't listen to me. I love _you,_ not Gene. It was never Gene! Gene is _dead_ ," she muttered. "He was very nice to me, and yes he smiled more at me in those few months way more than you probably ever have in your entire life. He seemed like a great person, a _great brother._ But he isn't you."

"But—"

"It's your stubborn personality and sarcasm I love," she continued, ignoring him. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "No, you know what? This is a _waste of time,"_ she echoed his words. "You already rejected me. I don't know why I am bothering."

"No, wait—"

"If you wanted to hear what I have to say so badly," she lectured crossly, "you should have read my damn letters."

"Mai, _listen to me,"_ he insisted, his voice unwavering despite the war waging inside him. She quieted, wiping more tears away. He looked her directly in the eyes. "I…" his stomach churned. "I…" the words would just not come out. "I _care_ about you," he managed.

That's not what he wanted to say. She laughed bitterly.

"Prove it," she challenged. His mind went blank. What was he supposed to do? "Yeah, I didn't think so," she shook her head.

The only words he could string together were, "None of this makes sense."

"Not everything has to make sense, Naru," Mai suggested. She wiped her eyes one last time and turned on her heels to leave.

' _Stop her,'_ was his first reaction. Instead, he muttered, "I don't want you to hate me." He winced at his own words; he hated _himself_ for saying something that made him so vulnerable. She stopped at the door without turning around.

"I didn't," she murmured, "But I don't know if I can forgive you again."

She slammed the door behind her, leaving him aching and dumbstruck in the falling snow.


	8. December 24th

_A/N: I can't believe I churned out two relatively lengthy chapters that quickly. I've been staring at my computer for like two days straight, which is not normal for me. I suppose when inspiration strikes, you listen._

 _There is a lot of poor grammar in this chapter, but I assure you, it's intentional. Speaking a foreign language is difficult so I tried to reflect that. I study linguistics for a living, so the errors are common errors you would expect to hear. I am not being offensive; it's just the nature of early bilingualism._

 _Thank you so much for your reviews! I read all of them and I appreciate them greatly. Your feedback means a lot. I wish I had time to respond to each of them individually. Perhaps I will set some time aside for that in the future. You are good people._

 _I hope you all enjoy this chapter._

 _(Also never going to stop promoting my one-shots, yo, so if it pleases you, you should totally check them out.)_

* * *

 **December 24** **th** **, 7:12 AM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

The icy water shocked her pores, making Mai feel at least a little more grounded than she had when she woke up. Splashing water on her face was not going to make the pain go away, but it mimicked the feeling of cleanliness, which was a refreshing change from her prior snot-covered glory. She reached for the nearest wash cloth to dab her face dry and then observed her handiwork in the mirror. Her cheeks retained their redness from the night before, but it appeared less brash so she considered that a win. Her eyes, on the other hand… They were still dreadfully puffy and almost as red as her cheeks. She wondered if they would ever look normal again, because with the way she felt, she was beginning to think not. She sighed, conceding defeat.

The growling of her stomach thieved her attention away from her face; she was suddenly very conscious of the fact that she was ravenous. This was probably another good sign, because when she went to bed last night she felt like she was never going to eat again. She had no desire to leave the bathroom (what if she saw _Naru?),_ but knew she would starve otherwise. With what courage she could muster, she trudged out of the bathroom to descend the stairs. Thankfully Naru's bedroom door was still shut. As she passed by, though, she had to resist the urge to break down his door and bash him in his stupid, perfect face.

After their argument the night before, she stomped upstairs immediately without bidding good night to anyone. She was humiliated and still blubbering, and it was bad enough that Naru of all people saw her in that state. The slamming of her door must have tipped her friends off that something had gone awry, because every couple of minutes someone different knocked on her door to try and talk to her. First it was Yasu, but she pointedly locked the door when he asked to come in. Ayako soon followed and did not try to come in, but instead tried to offer her motherly comfort through the door. As much as she appreciated it, she still did not want to open up that dialogue. Bou-san and John knocked together, probably hoping that two would have more success than one. John kindly attempted to get Mai to open the door, but again, she refused. Bou-san, who must have felt he was out of options, threatened to bust her door in and force his comfort on her. He probably intended to have a comedic effect, but Mai had none of it; the only protest she could manage was a guttural, inhuman screech to frighten him off. It must have worked, too, because the last she heard of him was _'Oh my_ god _'_ followed by total silence.

She needed peace to wallow in her own gloom.

For the second time in the last few months, she confessed her feelings to Naru. And this time, she did not bother to beat around the bush. He was just that dense. But somehow, he still had it in his head that she loved Gene. He couldn't wrap his stupid mind around it. To make things worse, he never even _read_ the letters she had slaved over for hours.

He claimed he _cared_ about her. She had a hard time believing it considering the way he treated her. She wasn't even asking him to be hopelessly in love _back;_ all she wanted was to feel respected. She could deal with unrequited love. Just not an unrequited love that destroyed their friendship.

He said he didn't want her to hate him. Even though he pushed her away, he didn't want her to _hate him_. That seemed like a lofty request. Honestly though, she didn't hate him. She probably never could. But she could be pissed, so that's damn well what she was.

Again, she was left heart broken. She'd make sure to rub that in Yasu's face later, just like she promised.

Mai wandered her way into the kitchen to be greeted with the aroma of tea (as per usual) and Luella who was measuring out ingredients into different bowls on the island. She looked up at the unexpected presence.

"Oh, good morning, Mai!" she greeted in a frenzy, trying not to lose track of her measuring. Thankfully she had not noticed Mai's swollen eyes.

"Good morning, Loo-ella," she returned. Without looking up, Luella gestured toward a plate of biscuits on the edge of the counter.

"I'm sorry, I would make you something to eat, but I'm making Christmas Eve dinner and there is just so darn many of you and all I have are leftover biscuits…" she puffed and paused for a moment, wiping her forehead with her forearm and leaning on the counter for support.

"It is okay! These are fine," Mai assured her. She would've eaten her own arm at the point if someone gave it to her on a plate. She grabbed a napkin and overloaded it with biscuits. Luella raised an eyebrow.

"You sure are hungry this morning," she observed. Mai nodded, averting her eyes.

"Yes," she agreed, stuffing a biscuit in her mouth.

"Thank you for helping with the dishes last night, Mai. I really appreciate it," she said, returning back to her preparation.

"You are welcome, it was not trouble at all," Mai looked up, smiling softly. Luella caught her eye momentarily before Mai could turn away. She frowned.

"Is everything alright, Mai?" Luella questioned, clearly concerned. She wiped her hands on a towel. "You look upset."

"Ah, yes," she lied.

"Are you sure? You went to bed awfully…" she contemplated, looking for the right word to use. " _Hastily_ last evening."

"Ah… Yes," she repeated. She did not know how to explain to Naru's mother that he was a complete and utter asshole, especially in English. Luella gave her a skeptical stare. Mai shrunk in on herself, feeling like she would combust under Luella's gaze. The woman sighed.

"What did Noll do this time?" she conjectured into a question. How did she know?

"Ah… Um…" Mai stuttered.

"So this _was_ Noll's fault," she gathered. Mai nodded feebly. Luella shook her head disdainfully.

"I'm sorry, dear," she apologized. She seemed to do that a lot on others' behalves, Mai noticed. She was almost too warmhearted. "Would you help me pour these together?" She asked, diverting the subject for a moment. Mai blinked, biscuit en route to her mouth. She timidly abandoned her breakfast to help.

"O-okay…" Luella handed her a bowl full of some sort of flour mixture and then moved to set up an electric mixer. She poured sugar and softened butter into it and flipped the switch on low.

"I'm going to crack the eggs into it as it mixes while you use this," she handed Mai a spoon, "to scoop in the dry ingredients a bit at a time. Can you do that?" Mai nodded. Luella cracked the first egg, and Mai tossed a heap of flour into the mixing bowl. Then continued in a rhythm for a minute or so, until Luella ran out of eggs to crack, leaving Mai with a bowl still three-quarters full. She looked at Luella, panicked. "Don't worry! It's supposed to be this way," she assured, leaning over on a hand firmly on the counter. She looked prepared to grill Mai. Her face flushed, feeling her palms start to sweat. "Just keep scooping until it's gone. That's it," she hummed as Mai moved to continue.

Mai tossed in another spoonful before Luella spoke again.

"So what did Noll do?" she asked again. Mai looked up at her without words, eyes wide. "It's okay, focus on what you're doing, not me," she ordered, gesturing with her hand to continue. Mai understood now; Luella gave her a menial task to concentrate on to help Mai focus her attention on her words. Mai exhaled, feeling the pressure evaporate from her body.

Luella was a saint.

"We fighted," Mai admitted, continuing to shovel the blend slowly into the forming batter.

"You fought?" Luella corrected artfully, masking it in a request for validation. Mai was grateful she did not have to look at her face because she could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Yes, we fought," she nodded, spooning intently.

"You do not have to answer if it is too personal, Mai, but…" she paused cautiously. "May I ask what about?"

"I do not think I can talk it in English," Mai admitted. "It is…complicated." Luella nodded.

"That's okay, I understand. Can I take a stab at it?" Mai looked up at her, confused. "I'm sorry, I mean, do you mind if I guess what he did?"

"Oh, ah…no, that is okay," she said, returning to the task at hand. Luella took a moment to think.

"Did he say something mean?" she asked. Mai nodded. _'A lot of things, actually,'_ she added in her head. "Did he yell at you?" Mai nodded.

"I yelled also," she confessed. Luella nodded again.

"Why were you two yelling?" She had a knowing tone in her voice. Mai suspected she already had an idea.

"I am embarrassing," Mai replied. She cringed, realizing her mistake. Though, it still held true. "I-I mean, I am _embarrassed,_ "

"It's okay," she promised. Mai shoved a spoonful into the mixture callously.

"He told me that I do not love him," she muttered.

"What?" Luella questioned rhetorically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I think I have a pretty good idea about what happened now. I have to ask, though…" she trailed off. " _Do_ you love him?"

Mai nervously reached in for another scoopful, only to find there was nothing left. However, Mai found it did not matter because she was not uncomfortable anymore.

"Yes," she confirmed. Luella started to laugh. Mai covered her face. Luella placed a hand gently on one of her shoulders.

"I didn't mean to laugh, I promise. I am not laughing at you." Mai sighed in respite. "It's just that Noll can be a right idiot, sometimes." Mai laughed nervously.

"Y-yeah," she concurred.

"Mai, do you know much about Noll and Gene's relationship?" she inquired.

"Not much," she replied, "Just that they…" she furrowed her brow in concentration. "Gene helped Naru."

"Yes," Luella confirmed. "You mean with his abilities, right?" Mai nodded. "I'm going to tell you something else, then." Luella lowered her voice, stopping the mixer to scrape the dry powder off the side of the bowl with a spatula. "Gene and Naru helped each other with a lot of things. They were both very different people, but because of that, they brought out the best in one another," she imparted sentimentally, looking off into space, lost in memories. "I'm sure by now you know that Noll was the more introverted of the two." Mai tilted her head.

"In-tro-vertid?" she repeated.

"He is shy," she clarified. Mai nodded vehemently in agreement. "And sarcastic. But very passionate and caring."

"I know this," Mai sighed. She knew he was. He'd proven it on more than one occasion.

"Gene and Noll helped each other grow as people. They were fascinating to watch as they got older, really. They were both very confident, in their own way," she added. "But there were certain confidences they did not share. Gene had a habit of second-guessing his research, though in practice he always excelled. Noll always reassured him when Gene was his own worst skeptic."

"Oh…" Mai breathed. She didn't know that.

"Noll is a very charismatic professional, but he dreaded speaking to people. He had trouble expressing himself. Still does often times, I think," she assumed. "And Gene was born a very expressive person. So they helped each other. Do you understand?" She finished with a delicate smile.

Mai nodded.

Under his tough exterior, his formidable PK, and his immaculate professionalism, Naru was still only an 18-year-old. An 18-year-old who was so comfortable living in the periphery that he truly believed it would have been more favorable for him to have died instead of his brother.

Did he really think so lowly of himself? _Naru?_

She needed to reconsider what she had learned.

She felt terrible that the world made him feel like he was some cheap copy of his 'superior' older brother—and she had accidentally been a part of it. Until last night, she would never have guessed that he felt that way; he always seemed so confident in himself. Was this a problem he had always bore?

Probably not, Mai reasoned. It was likely easier for him to deal with everything he felt when Gene was around. They complimented each other, reinforcing each other's weak points. Perhaps they acted as each other's anchor. Gene would socialize more with people and help Naru manage his feelings, because he knew Naru (by nature and no fault of his own) had difficulty. She recalled his words from the woods all those months ago: _'I told you I don't like it when people care for me.'_

After taking a moment to piece some of this together, Mai had an epiphany. Naru was not always purposely offensive; he very well may have a rife form of social anxiety.

Now that his twin was gone, Naru was left with his legacy and found himself suddenly alone to do the things on which Gene was helping him improve. He was coping in the best (and only) way he knew how. Which, honestly, was by _not_ coping.

He really _did_ think that lowly of himself.

Mai's stomach ached. She did not know what to say.

"I understand," she managed. Luella squeezed her shoulder gently.

"It's not an excuse for his behavior towards you—or your friends. You have every right to be angry. But I think this is important for you to know." She examined Mai's face, which revealed she felt rather overwhelmed. "Why don't you go clean up, okay?" Mai blinked.

"O-okay," she replied in a daze, turning around to go upstairs. "Loo-ella?" she called, pausing at the door.

"Hm?" she hummed.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely. Luella nodded in acknowledgement.

"Of course."

With that, Mai made her way back upstairs to the solace of her room. She paused in front of Naru's door for a few moments.

She shook her head to snap herself out of her stupor, forcing herself back into her own room.

She was just not ready to forgive him yet.

* * *

 **7:23 PM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

Oliver wondered if he was ever going to be able to sleep again. This was the third night in a row where his mind refused to grant him mercy and let him get adequate rest. It was frankly ridiculous. He was already having trouble thinking clearly, he did not need any additional help.

When he figured out he was not going to be able to fall asleep, he did not even bother to stay in bed. While everyone else slept soundly, he went down to the kitchen, made himself a cup of Earl Grey, and sat in front of the smoldering fireplace in the parlor. If he was going to relive the destruction of his sanity, he decided he should at least be comfortable.

He had fucked up _bad_ and he knew it, but a combination of panic, pride, and perplexity prevented him from stopping to apologize. Mai screaming at him had tipped him over the edge, unraveling every thread of emotion in his body. The feelings he successfully repressed—or so he thought—regarding his brother's death, his feelings for her, and the idea that Mai wanted nothing to do with him demolished his judgement. It consumed him all at once and he simply lost his temper. What confounded him most was that Mai _insisted_ that she love _him_ and not Gene. _That doesn't make sense._

How was he supposed to react?

' _Prove it'_ her voice echoed in his mind.

Only after reliving the disaster several times did he think of what he should have done. It was absolutely absurd, but seeing as nothing else made sense anyway, it could not be that far off the mark.

He should have told her. Or kissed her. Or something. _Anything._

She challenged him to prove that he cared, and he _more_ than cared. He had given her the perfect opportunity.

 _So why couldn't he say it?_

Why couldn't he say it to himself now?

Because she probably hated him. It was almost unquestionable. If she hadn't before, he made sure of it this time. If he said it now, he would have to think about how it was one-sided and he missed his chance.

He wished Gene was there, partially so he could cuff him in the face and partly so he could tell him what in the hell he was supposed to do.

"Oliver!" Luella called from the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner will be ready in 15!"

Damn it. He ran his hands through his hair, dragging his fingernails angrily along his scalp. He had tried coming out of his room once already that day, but when he reached the parlor where he planned to consume himself in a book, _she_ was there, talking away with Yasu and Bou-san. They met each other's gazes, something unspoken between them hanging in the abrupt silence. She broke eye contact first and looked away, but not before he watched her eyes fill with disenchantment.

And with that, he returned to his room with no intention of resurfacing. Unfortunately, he had failed to take into account the significance of the date: Christmas Eve. His mother always prepared a substantial meal to celebrate and he would be expected to attend.

With his heart in his throat, he made his way to the dining room. Only Lin (whom Luella insisted on joining them), Martin, John, and Bou-san sat around the festively decorated table, so he seized the opportunity to sit between John and Lin to eliminate any possibility of sitting next to Mai. He knew his friends were staring, but he was too dignified to give in to their scrutiny. He held his head high, not speaking a word.

Over the next quarter hour, his friends made their way in to the dining room and the table began to burst with food. The last to join was Mai, who found her seat at the complete opposite end of the table.

"Luella, you've outdone yourself again!" Ayako clapped her hands, delighted at the spread in front of her.

"Oh, it was nothing!" Luella dismissed with a wave of a hand, radiating pride nevertheless. She had prepared a honey glazed ham, white rice with a vegetable medley for Lin and Oliver, about three different kinds of casseroles that Oliver could not identify, and warm sourdough bread.

"Thank you for having us for the holiday," John said. "This is wonderful."

"Of course, Father," Luella insisted. "It has been our pleasure." She added, shooting Oliver a brief haughty glance. "Please, please, eat up," she encouraged the group.

" _Don't mind if I do!"_ Bou-san obliged. She chuckled, surmising the meaning of his words from his tone.

"Happy Christmas!" She raised her glass in a toast. A chorus of 'happy Christmas's erupted around the table.

"HA-PEE CREESE-MAS!" Bou-san shouted, excitedly starting to tear into the ham.

* * *

 **7:39 PM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

The table was buzzing with conversation, but Oliver paid no attention to any of it. He found himself more concerned with the… _visually-pleasing_ , disheartened woman on the other end of the table. She half-heartedly engaged in conversation with her immediate neighbors (Ayako and Yasu), but otherwise remained silent, pushing food around her plate absentmindedly. Guilt impelled the appetite out of his stomach, leaving him feeling cheerless despite the merriness of the day.

He knew he was staring, but did not care because there is only so much offended she could feel, and he assumed she almost maxed her limit. He tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, deep in thought. After fighting with himself, he finally made a decision he had been deliberating for the past few hours. He pushed away from the table gracefully and stood.

"Thank you for dinner, mother. If you excuse me, I have some reading to finish."

What an all too familiar scene.

He pushed his chair in politely and hastily exited, cognizant of the fact that everyone but Mai's eyes were fixed on him.

* * *

 **7:43 PM**

 _(Primary Language: English)_

He threw open his bedroom door and swung it shut tightly behind him. He approached his desk, turned on the small table lamp, and grasped the handle off his top drawer. He did not open it right away. Part of him still resisted the urge, but he knew it had to be done. With a deep breath, he pulled the drawer open quietly and grabbed a neat stack of envelopes sitting on top of a pile of manila folders. He sat down on his bed and shifted so his back sat against the cold glass of the window. It was a welcome chill.

He stared at the white envelopes in his hands, rubbing his thumb gently across the words _'Oliver Davis'_ written in neat, black ink. He fanned them out neatly in one hand, noting the postmark date on each one so he could arrange them in order of oldest to newest. He was going to read all fourteen of them. He swore it to himself. He at least owed her that. He set the organized pile to the side, moving deftly to his desk momentarily to grab a letter opener from another drawer. He held the first envelope in his hand, which he realized now was shaking.

He blamed it on his fatigue.

He tore gently through the seal of the envelope with the blade and carefully removed two folded pieces of stationary with writing covering both sides. He held his breath, heart pounding in his ears, and unfolded them.

It was completely in Kanji.

He couldn't read it, even if he wanted to.

He stared at it dumbly. Now what?

He shook his head and slid the papers back into their envelope and placed it beside the pile of unopened letters. He grabbed another one, hoping he might be able to understand this one. He sliced it open, finding only one sheet inside. He held his breath again and unfolded it.

English.

It was in English.

Really, really poor English, but it was decipherable. Her neat handwriting helped.

He sighed in relief, feeling his heart rate return to normal.

After far too long a delay, he began to read:

 _Dear Naru,_

 _How are you? I am sorry if you cannot read my first letter. I know you do not see Japanese very good, maybe a person can help you to reading the letter. I hope you can find a person to help you to reading the letter. My words were important._

 _Also sorry again that the English is very bad. I am not very good at English, but I trying very hard. I hope you understand. I hope it makes you smile. I stay at school sometimes to practice English with my teacher._

 _It is not very nice that you are not here… We miss you! It is strange to not go to the office each day. It is sad. I loved the job. Thank you again for the job._

 _I look for a new job right now, but I do not have a new job. I hope soon! I do not believing that a new job will be as fun, but maybe Naru will return. I am happy if you return._

 _I hope you like school too. Is it hard? Hope not. I hope you have fun. You tell me about the research sometime! I want to hear._

 _Please be writing me back soon! Hope you are not busy and hope you are happy on England and hope you are succeed!_

 _Love,_

 _Mai_

He stared at the words for a few moments after reaching the end. He couldn't believe she tried to write in English just so he would be able to understand her. He ventured to guess that the letter probably took her at least an hour to write. Her near consistent use of the present tense and the limited vocabulary probably hindered the process.

But she wrote it anyway.

For him.

He set the open letter off to the side, feeling very strange.

Before he could think about it too much, he ripped open the next letter to read. It was similar to the first letter, but she mentioned the jobs she applied for and hoped it was okay if she put him down as a reference on her resume. She also discussed her latest excursion with Bou-san, Ayako, and Yasu, whom she appeared to remain in contact with regularly.

He repeated the process, tearing open the third letter.

And then the fourth. And the fifth. And the sixth. They were all similar in nature: chipper, poor grammar, but full of sincerity. She wanted to make sure he knew about her life, and at the end of each letter, she always asked him to write back. He wondered how upset she felt when she received nothing in return.

He sighed. Each letter made him feel worse.

He tore open the seventh letter. Immediately he could tell it was different. It was only half a page long, the English was much better, and it was not as warm. She must have had her teacher review it before sending it. That would also account for the short length.

How embarrassing.

 _Naru,_

 _I did not want to write about it in the past letters… I thought that maybe letters you sent were delayed in the mail. But I have not received anything from you. I have written a lot of letters._

 _I hope I did not cause you anger… I am sorry if I said something else wrong. Maybe your letters are truly lost. Or maybe mine never made it to London._

 _I really want to hear from you to hear how you are doing. Please write soon._

 _Love,_

 _Mai_

Oliver suddenly felt very queasy.

He was not angry.

He was stupid.

He slit the tops of letters eight, nine, and ten. None of them revisited the topic of why he never wrote back, but the letters progressively grew shorter and shorter. The eleventh letter aroused a particularly agonizing nostalgia.

 _Dear Naru,_

 _Today I missing the office a lot. I watch television yesterday. I watch the news and learned about a ghost problem on a school on Kyoto. It is funny that it is so much schools that we investigate. People see shadows and hear footstepping. People see doors shut and open and shut also. People believing all of it too._

 _Yasuhara and me looked in the computer for facts and are agreeing that the school owners tell lies for time on television and money. No stories people tell are similar and pictures seem like they are other things. People pay to investigate the ghost on the end of the weeks. They saying they see and hear things but I think they are telling lies or I think their evidence is made of fear. How stupid!_

 _I am wishing you and Lin-san are here so you can telling them how stupid they are._

 _We miss you._

 _Love,_

 _Mai_

The English was absolutely abhorrent, but it was comprehensible enough to do its job: twist his chest in knots.

He crushed the letter in his fist and threw it across the room in self-loathing.

It was not as satisfying as he hoped. He still felt awful.

With what little impetus he had left, he opened and read through the last three letters. They were nothing out of the ordinary, but each of them felt like a knife to his gut.

It took him nearly four hours to read and reread each of the letters. He wanted to know them inside and out. He wanted to understand Mai's state of mind. And most of all, he wanted her to forgive him.

He looked around at the stationary littering his bed. He'd finally opened them all after four months, but he felt like he was still missing something important.

He glanced at the first and longest letter, written in Kanji. He picked it up, turning the envelope over in his hands. He narrowed his eyes. Why was it so much longer than the others? Why was it the only one written in Kanji? _What did it say?_ It was highly unlikely that a two-page document (front and back) contained absolutely _nothing_ of importance, he reasoned.

That letter knew something he did not, and that was unacceptable.

* * *

 **11:36 PM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

After a very large meal, an evening of laughs, and a few glasses of wine, Bou-san crawled into his cozy bed ready to welcome his slumber. He heard Yasu snoring already from the other side of the room. He pulled the covers up to his chin, enjoying the soft linen against his bare chest. He exhaled softly, ready to surrender to his consciousness… And he did it, until a loud knock at his door startled him so badly he yelped and tumbled out of bed in a tangle of sheets. Yasu did not wake up to the knock, but his friend becoming acquainted with the floor caused him to sit up on his forearms in impatience.

"What the hell, Bou-san? Shut up over there, will you?" he grumbled sleepily.

"Hey, shut up yourself!" he snapped, rubbing a sore spot on his head and sitting up. That was going to swell for sure. "Did you not hear that knock?"

"No," he muttered incredulously. "You probably dreamt it," he suggested, falling back on his pillow. Someone pounded the door again, louder this time. Yasu did not sit up. "Or maybe you didn't."

"Ha!" Bou-san swanked, carefully standing up and stumbling to the door. He yanked the door open angrily. " _What?"_ he hissed. "Oh!" he blinked a few times to clear his foggy vision. "Naru?"

"Naru?" Yasu echoed, sitting up all the way in curiosity.

"Good evening," Naru deadpanned.

"Look, no offense Naru, but what are you doing here?" Bou-san folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. "We were trying to sleep."

"My apologies," he responded without the least bit of sincerity. "I need you to do me a favor." Bou-san raised an eyebrow.

"Right now? Can't it wait until morning?"

"I second that," called Yasu.

"No," he replied frankly. He held up a white envelope in his right hand. "I need you to read this to me."

"What? Why?" he questioned, pushing himself off the frame.

"Because _I can't read it,"_ he retorted candidly.

"What is _it?"_ Bou-san quipped. Naru thrust the envelope into Bou-san's hands. "A letter? From whom?" he turned the envelope over to look at the address. He widened his eyes. " _Oh."_ He coughed, stepping to the side as Naru strode passed. Bou-san shut the door. "Just so you know I am not putting on a shirt for you."

"What is it?" Yasu probed, swinging his legs over the side of his bed.

"A letter," Bou-san answered. "From _Mai,"_ he emphasized. Yasu leaned his elbows on his legs, supporting his head with his fists.

"What? Really?" he looked at Naru. "You're a little late, you know."

"I am aware," he assured sourly, taking a seat on the end of Bou-san's bed. Yasu flipped the switch of a small light on his night stand. "Will you read it?" he inquired. He shifted his weight uncomfortably before adding, "Please?" The two men were taken aback by his blatant courtesy.

"Well now you _have_ to read it, Bou-san," Yasu jested.

"Alright, alright, I'll read it for the poor kid," he replied, slipping the two pieces of stationary from the already-torn envelope. Bou-san briefly looked them over. "Damn, she sure wrote you a lot."

Naru cleared his throat.

"Right, right, sorry," he apologized. He skimmed the words silently before reading aloud. He widened his eyes apprehensively. "Hey, um, are you _sure_ you want me to read this?" Naru nodded. " _Out loud?"_ he clarified. Naru answered with a stoic stare. "Naru, it's…a bit _personal."_

"Oh just read it already!" Yasu complained.

"Fine!" Bou-san huffed. "Quit your bitching. Okay," he brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat dramatically. He began:

" _Dear Naru,_

 _I hope it's still okay to call you that. Oliver feels funny to me, but if you would prefer, I'll start using it._

 _I know you don't read much Kanji, but I needed to send this to you and I needed it to be written clearly. My written English is honestly horrible. I promise from now on I will try and write in English to make it easier on you! But anyways, I really hope you can read this, somehow._

 _I'd like to start by telling you I am sorry that you left with the two of us on such rocky terms. I kick myself for it every day. You mean a lot to me as a friend and I would really like to fix that, if we can. I hope you feel the same._

 _There was a lot I wanted to say to you before you left for England, but I unfortunately did not get the chance… Not that I need to explain that to you. I'm not exactly sure where to start, so I guess I will start by thanking you for the job. I loved working for SPR. It helped me out significantly with my finances, but I also got to meet so many great people. You're included in that, you know! I don't think I will ever find a job that is as exciting as ghost hunting, but I guess I have to try… Unless you want to come back to Japan again! Just kidding. Sort of._

 _I learned a lot about myself working for you, Naru. Like how to make a good cup of tea, for instance. But seriously though. Not to get all sentimental, but I learned how strong I can be. I did and said things I never imagined! I know SPR changed me for the better. So thank you for that._

 _I also want you to know how sorry I am about your brother. That's just so terrible… I know how hard it is to lose someone so close to you. I miss my mom and dad a lot. I know I can't compare my loss to yours, but I just want you to know that I can relate on some level and that you aren't entirely alone. I know you don't like to talk about these kinds of things, but if you change your mind… You know where to find me._

 _About what I said to you before I left… You know, in the woods… This is really embarrassing for me. I didn't mean to make you angry or upset. I'm sorry if I did. But that didn't give you the right to disrespect the way I felt! That was really hard for me, you know. I understand if you don't feel the same way, but you did not need to tell how I do or don't feel about someone. You don't get to make that decision for me and then leave all angry about it. You never even gave me a chance to explain._

 _I did not know that the Naru in my dreams was not you. I had no idea it was Gene. He never corrected me. Can you blame me for mistaking the two of you when I was in the dark?_

 _Yes, I liked it when Gene smiled at me. I admit, it was handsome. But when you smiled that way at me, as rare as it was, it was even more special. And you know, it wasn't even the smile that made me fall in love with you to begin with. Yes, Naru. You. Not Gene. You. I don't mean to sound crass, but Gene is dead, Naru. The only things I know about him are what I learned from my dreams. I know he is incredibly kind, caring, helpful, and handsome. He seemed like a great friend and a great brother. But that's all I know about him, Naru. I'm not so superficial that I fall in love with someone based just on their looks and a few smiles. Gene is not who I wanted, nor is he who I want now._

 _It was always you._

 _You and your stupid stubbornness._

 _I loved the way you cared for the SPR team. You always made sure we were okay, even if that meant your life was in danger. I loved the way you would try and comfort me. You might not think so, but it worked. You made me feel safe. I loved the way you would listen to me on cases when I had my crazy visions. You trusted me. You were the first one. I won't forget that! I even liked it when you would tease me. I didn't at first, because I didn't know you. But as I got to know you, things changed. It became endearing after a while. If you ask me, I think it was a way you showed your affection. And since you're all the way in England and I don't have to say this to your face, I've always thought you were attractive. Like, really, really attractive._

 _I admit the friendship we shared was a bit unorthodox, but I loved it anyway._

 _ **I love you.**_

 _Not Eugene._

 _You might think you know everything, but guess what, idiot scientist. You don't! For once, I get to be right about something! Ha! You'd be wise to remember that!_

 _I really wish I got to say this to you in person, but I don't know the next time I am going to see you… I really want to see you again. I miss you._

 _I know this is a lot. You don't need to answer me, if you won't want to. I just could not keep this to myself anymore. It was killing me! At least I can rest easy knowing you will have seen this. Probably._

 _Anyway._

 _I won't talk about this again if you don't want me to, either. I just want to be able to move forward from here. You're one of my closest friends and I don't want to lose you._

 _You better believe I am going to write you more letters. I hope to get answers to those, though! I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the quality of my English. I swear I'm not stupid._

 _I hope you are well._

 _Love,_

 _Mai_

 _P.S. I know what you're thinking—not everything has to make sense, Naru."_

A heavy silence settled over the room. Yasu's mouth hung open; he'd been gaping since around the second paragraph. Bou-san look like he could burst into flames at any moment. He cleared his throat.

"The end," he added awkwardly. They both looked at Naru. He was still, his eyes closed and arms crossed tightly against his chest. Bou-san began to wonder if he was still breathing. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, stood up straight, and snatched the letter from Bou-san's hands in one smooth motion. Bou-san's hands still hung in the air, clutching the ghost of the letter. He did not dare move.

"Thank you," Naru bowed his head at Bou-san and then departed, closing the door behind him.

"Uh… You're welcome?"

* * *

 **11:59 PM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

Somewhere between the monk's threshold and Mai's bedroom door, Oliver made the legendary decision to stop thinking. His head was spinning, and for being so spent, he felt exceptionally energized. The world around him had descended into madness, so instead of struggling to keep himself aloft, he was just going to descend with it. Why the hell not.

There was nothing rational about what he was about to do, anyway. Whatever that was.

He didn't have a plan.

He stopped in front of her door, and before he could overanalyze his behavior, knocked softly with one of his knuckles. He stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest at any moment. He inhaled slowly, his breath conspicuously uneven. His stomach doubled over on itself, and just when he thought he was going to be sick, the door opened.

"Naru…?" Mai's sleepy voice whispered. "What...?" He flashed the letter he carried. Her tired eyes narrowed. "Is that…my...?"

"You think I'm attractive," he accused. Her face went scarlet.

"I-I don't understand," she stammered, eyes searching his face for an explanation. She found none.

"Your English is atrocious," he declared with the smallest hint of a smirk. She gawked at him vacantly.

She backed up as he took a few steps closer, looking down at her with his piercing eyes.

"Naru, you aren't making any sense…!" she replied in a loud whisper. Warm fingers trailed up her arm, barely tracing her pale skin. She shuddered, suddenly very aware of the narrowing gap between the two of them. His fingers stopped at her shoulder.

"Not everything has to make sense, Mai," he retorted coyly, closing the door softly behind them.


	9. December 25th

_APRIL FOOLS! This update came one day earlier than anticipated-April 1st (I keep a tentative schedule on my profile page). I don't know at whose expense the joke is but let's have a laugh anyways._

 _A/N: I present to you the long anticipated installment to Business Better Left Unfinished._

 _(It's not over, though! One more chapter and an epilogue to come.)_

 _Semi-important-ish author's note will follow this chapter, as well. It has a bit more of a discussion of this chapter's content, but I don't want to give any spoilers away before it even starts!_

 _It's not as long as the prior few chapters, but I did not want to ruin it by trying to reach some sort of word limit. I said what I thought needed said. I hope that's okay! It could be longer, but I think that would take away from the story, honestly._

 _Also! I have in the works a new Ghost Hunt multi-chapter fan fiction. Drama, supernatural, and romance. It is tentatively titled The Importance of Crayons (though I am pretty sure that's going to stick because I kind of love it). If anyone can guess what it's about just from the title I will literally pay you all the money in my bank account. (Okay not literally, but whateverrrrrrr) I really hope to get a start on it; I'm in the pre-planning stage._ _I am additionally considering a one-shot in between long-ass stories, so stay tuned for that as well!_

 _Also also. This is me not shamelessly plugging my one-shots._

 _I truly hope you enjoy it, friends._

* * *

 **December 25** **th** **, 12:01 AM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

As soon as Oliver felt the door behind him soundlessly settle into its latch, he leaned his back against it and let out a shaky breath he did not know he was holding. The room was silent, but he was certain Mai could hear the erratic pounding in his chest. She stood mere inches away from him. He could hear her shallow breath, and even in the darkness, he could see her slender fingers tracing on her arm the ghost of his touch from just moments before.

Did he actually make her _breathless_?

Despite his uneasiness, a rush of satisfaction coursed through his veins.

Oliver was not an impulsive person. He prided himself on the way he kept his thoughts and emotional state under firm control.

But Mai had utterly demolished the stronghold confining the feelings he had tried so hard to circumvent to prevent a breakdown into lunacy, and now all at once they careened through his brain.

The feeling of her skin under his fingertips was undeniably addicting, and a part of him with which he was unfamiliar craved more.

The words of her letter still echoed in his mind.

He felt decidedly overstimulated.

There were a thousand things that he needed to convey to her, and there was likely twice as many ways to say them. But in his haze, before he could reason with himself, he opted for the most complicated method of all.

And it did not require words.

He impelled himself from the door with great poise, tightening the already narrow gap between them. Her breath hitched in her throat apprehensively, but she did not move. Her letter slipped down to their feet, almost all but forgotten. He gazed down at her with jaded eyes and clasped her left hand gently, lacing his fingers in the spaces between hers. She squeezed firmly for a moment, as if she wanted to make sure he would not let go this time. He squeezed back, and he felt her relax a bit, leaning in towards his chest.

With his other hand his fingers once again drifted up her arm, continuing past her shoulder to affectionately tuck a small strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear. He grazed his fingertips along the line of her jaw, stopping below her chin to judiciously tilt her head upwards to look at him. Her eyes fluttered shut. In the soft light spilling from the window, he noticed a constellation of muted freckles dusting her cheek bones. He wondered how he never noticed them before.

He shifted his hand to cradle the back of her neck, his touch burning her to the core in its wake. He paused for scarcely a moment before leaning in and coaxing her head to the side, his face mere millimeters from hers.

So close she could no longer distinguish if it was his warm breath or his lips electrifying the corner of her mouth…

And then a warm pressure overwhelmed her lips, and it became very evident that it was not his breath.

They stood suspended in that moment, static lips locked together and their hearts sinking in the weight of all they needed to understand.

But the questions could wait.

Oliver pulled her face closer to his with the hand on her neck, pressing their lips together harder. He pulled away just slightly when he felt her squeeze his hand tighter, worried she might be having second thoughts. After a moment of ragged breathing, she dropped his hand and threw her arms around his neck with such force Oliver rammed his back against the door, desperate to memorize the taste of his lips against hers.

He was surprised by her urgency, but he responded in full as best as he could. He snaked his free arm around her waist and knotted his hand in the fabric of her white nightshirt, tugging her body as close to him as possible. She tightened her grip around his neck, hovering on her tiptoes. She drew back just enough to tilt her head to the other side and deepen the kiss, but he did not seem to anticipate the move and their noses collided gently. Mai let out a breathy laugh as she caught a small glimpse of his face, his eyes wound with embarrassment. She kissed him tenderly a few times to reassure him it was okay, setting a comfortable rhythm.

While returning her kisses, he pushed from the door and moved forward clumsily, urging her to walk backwards towards her unmade bed. Her arms slipped from his neck and traveled down his chest. He shivered, resting his hands gently on her hips, just barely slipping his fingers under the hem of her shirt to limn gentle, nonsensical patterns on her skin. She let her hands wander his clad torso as his touch cast waves of exhilaration rippling through her body. She felt the back of her legs brush against her bed sheets.

He slid his hands up the curve of her back, pushing her shirt up a bit. He pulled her near again, opening his mouth in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Their lips awkwardly mashed together. They pulled back to try again, but gnashed their teeth together maladroitly. Mai retreated, body quivering from noiseless giggles. Oliver looked away self-consciously, his hands dipping a bit. She reached up and put a hand on either side of his face, encouraging him to look at her. She could almost swear she felt his face flame beneath her palms.

' _It's okay,'_ she mouthed wordlessly. He exhaled, clearly annoyed with himself. She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, then gently pried his hands away from her and sat on the edge of the bed. She motioned for him to join her. He situated himself next to her, tilted towards her and supporting himself with a hand laid just behind her back. She leaned in to resume the kiss, but Oliver withdrew subtly. Mai frowned, opening her mouth to question him, but he interrupted.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," he confessed, face clearly flushed now.

"What do you mean?" she questioned. "Have you never…" she trailed off, gesturing back and forth between their lips awkwardly. He shook his head. "Wait, really?" He shook his head again, running a hand through his hair. "Naru…" she whispered, placing a hand gently on his knee. "Relax, okay…?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Okay…?" she repeated. He swallowed harshly and nodded almost imperceptibly. She inched closer to him and leaned in, tilting her head pointedly to tip him off. He bowed his head to meet her, recapturing her lips in a soft kiss. She leaned in even further, slinking a hand to the back of his neck to pull him closer to her this time. She used her own soft lips to wrest his open, continuing slowly to keep him comfortable.

Evidently, her approach succeeded, because like the Naru she knew, he appropriated control to test his own insights. He trapped her bottom lip between his lightly and gave it an affectionate tug before prodding it gently with the tip of his tongue. She gasped sharply and he began to retreat thinking he had done something wrong, but she slid a hand into his tussled dark hair, threading her fingers through the locks she had dreamt of dandling for months. She lured him back and pushed her mouth against his, teasing her tongue against the crease of his lips.

He parted his demurely, her tongue passing over his lips and teeth with ease, forcing his mouth even wider. Despite his initial apprehension, he nudged her tongue inquisitively with his own. A peculiar warmth flittered in his stomach. The sensation of her exploring his mouth was startlingly vitalizing, and he felt his strength of mind ebbing away as he leaned over her, shuffling her backwards on the sheets.

He was on top of her now, one leg between hers and supporting himself with his forearm beside her head, resting on a pillow. He wanted— _he needed—_ to immortalize the taste of her, the rush of her hot breath against his skin. He finally relinquished her mouth, both of them thirsting for air. After catching his second wind, he slowly dragged his nose up the side of her neck, planting a small kiss just below her ear at the corner of her jaw. A faint aroma of a sweet-smelling blossom he could not quite identify hailed his senses. He would have to take care that in the future he had another opportunity to try and place it.

And perhaps another after that.

Research is important, after all.

He felt her shudder below him and swathe her arms around his sides, letting her hands roam without purpose until reaching the hem of his black shirt. He planted several kisses down to the base of her throat when a hand curiously found its way to the bare skin of his abdomen. As icy as her touch was, his skin prickled with fire.

Both burning and shivering, anxious and unafraid, confounded and enlightened, unsettled and exultant: his imprudent _,_ clumsy secretary had transfigured him into a living, breathing paradox and he _detested_ it.

But he _loved_ her _._

Barely a fingerbreadth away, he surveyed her face, stopping when their gazes crossed.

 _He was genuinely smiling._

Mai closed her eyes and wrapped an arm around his neck, urging him to rest his forehead against hers.

And in the silence they remained as they tried to figure out now where they should begin.

* * *

 **12:31 AM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

It was some time before either of them dared move, afraid to upset the waning stability (which was admittedly not very stable to begin with). He repositioned himself to her right, lying next to her on his back.

What the hell had he just done?

Oliver had never felt this way before, and he truthfully never thought he would. He had never desired _intimacy_ before—emotional _or_ physical. The concept had evaded him for almost two decades. But there he was, lying in bed beside a woman that was supposedly irate with him almost to the point of hatred.

And with her, he had just shared his first, fantastically clumsy moment of intimacy.

To make the situation worse, he felt like he was still in imminent danger of losing her.

He knew something needed done, but whatever _it_ was eluded him.

He was keenly aware she was eyeing him, waiting for him to say something. Where was he supposed to begin? ' _Where do all great solutions start?'_ he questioned oratorically. _'From analyzing the facts.'_ Of course. Start with the facts, with what you know, and experiment from there. Science.

What was the most substantiated fact in this case?

"I'm stupid," Oliver testified.

Silence.

Mai blinked a few times, sitting up a bit on her forearms to get a better look at his face, which was ardently staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, what?" she sputtered.

" _I'm stupid,"_ he reemphasized. Hearing himself say it a second time was humiliating. She gawped vacantly.

"I still don't think I'm hearing you right," she insisted, turning her body on her side to face him and raising an eyebrow.

"Please don't ask me to say it again, Mai," Oliver requested, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You're _stupid,_ " she repeated candidly, using her fist to support her head. Oliver sighed huskily. Perhaps he needed a better foundation. He offered the next datum he could think of.

"I hurt you," he acknowledged, voice shaded with self-reproach. Her eyes widened briefly, taken aback by his brash concession. She glanced back at her letter, at rest on the floor where they had abandoned it in their passion. "Twice…"

"Twice?" she questioned, turning her attention back to him.

"The night before last," he explained, "And that day in the woods." He clarified. She said nothing and stared through the frosty glass of the window just above him. She could not seem to find her voice. He took advantage of the stillness to reassess. What he said was correct, but he was not telling her anything she did not already know. He'd merely reestablished the problem. He needed to figure out what she needed.

"You did hurt me," she affirmed finally, meeting his gaze. Her eyes lacked their usual spark; instead, they were clouded in heartache. "Is that all you came here to tell me?" she asked. He suspected that was a loaded question.

He shook his head at himself. He took a slow breath. "Can I…ask you a question?" He asked sincerely. He needed guidance. He needed this to be done right.

"Okay…" she nodded apprehensively.

"What do you need, Mai?" he asked forthrightly. Her breath caught in her throat.

"What?" she swallowed harshly. "What do you mean?"

"I want to know what you need. I want to make you feel better," he disclosed. "And I am not good at this. Please," he added. She looked away nervously to consider the question, absentmindedly picking at a few frays on her blankets.

"I need to understand why you snubbed me," she started. "Why did you ignore me, Naru…?" She queried softly.

"Because I did not know how to handle it," he admitted. "Mai, I'm _really_ not good at this. This," he gestured around the space between them, "Is hard. You told me some very personal things, and when you conferred to me about Gene, I…" he trailed off. She held up a hand to stop him.

"It's okay, I understand…" she countered, not wanting to push him any farther into his growing anxiety. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you were inferior. You know you're not, right?" He remained silent. _"Right?"_ she repeated. "Naru… I need to know you understand that," she appended in reference to his original question.

After a few moments, he responded in a low voice.

"That's not always something I understand, no," he confessed. Her face dropped. "I've never been good at maintaining personal connections, Mai. Not like Gene. The idea of starting something serious with someone when Gene is a dynamic is discouraging. In the end, everyone preferred Gene because of his _annoying_ , _sociable_ personality. I'm used to it. But the idea of being rejected by someone I—" he cut himself off to redirect his thoughts. "—someone I actually _care about_ in favor of Gene was not something I was prepared to deal with." He felt Mai slip a hand over his lying flat on the bed. "I don't like attention. And I have found expressing my emotional state is an attention _magnet_. I can barely... _handle_ my feelings on my own, and the idea of handling while others are watching it is revolting," he finished, closing his fingers around hers.

A heavy silence settled over the room. She noticed how physically uncomfortable he looked after confessing something so personal, like he might be sick.

"That must have been hard for you to say. Thank you, Naru," she acknowledged, hoping to soothe his trepidation. She edged closer to him and withdrew her hand from his to drape her arm across his chest, snuggling up close. He turned to glance at her, eyes full of unspoken gratitude.

"I need you to understand that I don't love Gene, Naru," she whispered, not breaking eye contact. "I never did."

He blinked. "Okay," he replied. She narrowed her eyes and lifted a brow, confused.

"Okay?" she repeated.

" _Okay_ ," he assured. "I believe you." Nostalgia pricked at her very nerve. He had said those words to her during her cases at SPR on more than one occasion, and they meant a lot to her. "You explained it very thoroughly in your letter…" he mused. A sudden glint of realization dashed through his eyes. He knew what to do next. "I'm sorry," he apologized. She blinked. "I'm sorry I did not read your letters sooner. That was very rude of me." She smiled faintly. Success. He needed to keep going. "I'm sorry that I ignored you and made you feel like I was angry at you. I wasn't," he promised. "I was mad at myself. And maybe at Gene…" He added. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Thank you, Naru…" Mai replied, her eyes glistening in the faint light from the window. He tilted his head, confused.

"Why are you crying?" he quizzed, brushing her tears instinctively with his thumb. He let his hand linger on her face, cupping her cheek affectionately.

"It's not a bad thing, I promise," she answered. "I've just been waiting to hear that for a long time now…" she placed a hand on his, committing to memory the subtle callous of his knuckles. She still had the familiar dull ache in her chest, but it did not hurt so bad now. "Can I ask _you_ a question now?" she probed. He nodded. "What do _you_ need?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "I need you not to hate me." She giggled and nestled her head on his shoulder. Her heart was the lightest it had felt in months.

"I don't hate you," she affirmed. "In fact, I forgive you," she pledged. He smirked subtly, closing his eyes. She sensed his muscles, at long last, relax. "I think there are still a few things we need to talk about…"

"Mmm," he acknowledge, a low hum in his throat. "But that can wait…" His voice leached lethargy.

"I suppose it can," she agreed. "You should go to bed Naru. You look exhausted…"

But he did not hear her.

He exhaled noiselessly, already lost in richly deserved sleep.

* * *

 **8:03 AM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

Even though they had fallen asleep together, Mai still found herself surprised to wake up snuggled up to Naru's sleeping form.

Thank _God_ it had not been one of her dreams.

At some point during the very early morning, Mai had rolled onto her side and pressed her back against Naru's chest. One of his arms naturally draped over her the curve of her waist and the other was safely tucked under her neck, spooning her close. His measured, steady breathing tickled the back of her neck. She could hear faintly in the distance the sound of people stirring and she knew she too would soon have to rouse, but she was determined to stay in that position for as long as she could.

She closed her eyes pensively to reflect on the events that passed just after midnight. She had already been in bed for a solid hour before someone inconsideratey knocked on her door. She was annoyed to be disturbed out of her sleep, but when she saw it was Naru, her stomach twisted in uncomfortable knots that made her forget about being asleep in the first place. She was still very cross with him and had no desire to see—let alone speak—with him, _especially_ when he started the conversation out with _'you think I'm attractive.'_ She would have called him a narcissist if it wasn't true.

Damn him.

What proceeded to transpire was not anything like what she expected, but she could not say she had any qualms. Kissing Naru was pure rapture, and she did not care how sappy it was to say. She wanted to do it again, to feel wrapped in his very essence.

Not to mention his clumsiness was extremely endearing…and also a bit satisfying. Finally, she could best him at something. Not to say that he was _bad—_ because he wasn't!—but she clearly had some convoluted upper hand; she hadn't any experience, either. Sure she'd had her crushes in school, but they never came to fruition. And then along came Naru and she lost interest in school boys all together. She imagined if either of them were to have more experience, it would be him because of his unremitting good looks, but apparently she was wrong.

She inferred that she was just more comfortable with herself in that regard, which allowed her to naturally lead.

She couldn't wait to teach him more…

She shook her head, clearing her devious thoughts. They were regrettably replaced by undesirable questions. She left for Japan tomorrow evening; what were they going to do? Would they date? Would one of them move? Would they just forget this ever happened and move on?

The last thought sunk like a stone in her chest. She really hoped not. She knew they needed to talk about this, and until they did, it was going to raze her psyche.

She felt a stirring from behind, and his strong arms squeezed her fleetingly.

"G'morning…" he murmured groggily. She could not help but titter a bit as he planted a gentle kiss on the back of her neck.

"Morning…" she replied.

"Ineedjutomove," he slurred tiredly. She sat up just a bit, unable to decipher what he'd just said.

"What?"

" _Please move,"_ he iterated. She slid away from him quickly, heart now racing nervously. He retracted the arm underneath her immediately, rubbing and bending it with a pained expression. "My arm was asleep…" he explained after some feeling returned. He laid on his back, offering her a new position to draw close. She sighed in relief and obliged immediately, settling into the crook of his shoulder.

"Happy Christmas…" Mai snickered. He smirked and let out a breathy laugh.

"Happy Christmas, indeed…" he responded.

"How did you sleep…?" she questioned.

"Remarkably well," he replied. "For once."

They laid together in silence, and just as Mai was about to broach the subject of her leaving, a knock sounded on the door.

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS, MAI!"

It was Bou-san.

Of course it was.

Mai immediately shot up, mortified. What was he going to think when he saw Naru leaving her bedroom?

"Maiiiii?" Bou-san crooned.

"Shit," Mai muttered, as Naru sat up on his arm. She covered her face, which unsurprisingly had already turned an alarming shade of red. He knocked again, only louder. Mai shrank in on herself, trying to become as small as possible. Naru cleared his throat softly, then edged his way off the bed. Mai looked up at him, face still flaming.

"Naru?" she questioned. "Don't go out—" she paused as his hand grasped the door knob.

"I see no reason to be ashamed. We did nothing wrong," he reasoned before opening the door arrogantly. He came face-to-face with Bou-san, whose fist was raised mid-knock. He gaped at the unexpected figure in the threshold.

"Naru?" he blinked.

"Good morning," he greeted inexpressively. _How was he so calm?!_

"Do I have the wrong room…?" he pondered, looking over Naru's shoulder to find Mai writhing on her bed, trying to crawl under her sheets.

"No, you are correct," he answered. Bou-san looked him head to toe, noticing he was still wearing the same clothes from the night before. He was about to raise objections when Naru interrupted him, walking forward. "If you excuse me," he said nonchalantly. "Happy Christmas," he added mordantly, ambling away gracefully.

Bou-san leaned against the doorway, staring at the lump of sheets that was Mai.

"So you made up, then?"

* * *

 **3:21 PM**

The group had no particular plans for the holiday itself, so they spent a great deal of time sitting around chatting and over stuffing their bellies with Luella's spoils.

Mai had made Bou-san promise not to tell anyone about their _encounter_ earlier that morning. He reluctantly agreed, and she could tell it took every ounce of his self-control not to burst at the seams. He became increasingly more antsy throughout the day. He wasn't even trying to be subtle.

But even if no one noticed Bou-san's behavior was more erratic than usual, _everyone_ noticed the change in Oliver's demeanor. He was not more talkative than his normal self, but when he did offer conversation it sounded meaningful and involved rather than like an obligation. What's more, it no longer felt like a haze of nihilism, one that threatened to poison anyone who dared get too close, saturated the air around him. But perhaps the most scandalous of all was his sudden willingness to overtly sit next to Mai.

Mai knew the hush would come to an end eventually, but for now, until they figured this out, she was perfectly content with sitting innocuously under the prying eyes of her friends. She may have even gone as far to hold his hand, but she had the sneaking suspicion that Naru was not yet comfortable with blatant public displays of affection. She was perfectly okay with that though because he seated himself so close to her that there was no discernable gap between their figures, which in and of itself spoke volumes to her.

* * *

 **6:46 PM**

He did not mind at first, but Oliver eventually grew weary of his mother's crafty smiles. He knew what they meant. There was a high probability she would corner him to take the Mickey out of him the first chance she got and there was nothing he could do about it but accept his fate.

She undoubtedly identified that something had changed, and judging by her comportment she knew exactly what this _something_ was.

It was a small price to pay, he decided, because he felt more contented than he had in months.

Knowing she did not hate him—and somehow forgave him for his idiocy—gave him astonishing peace of mind and simplified the process of recognizing he did, in fact, love Mai. Perhaps that feeling could turn into something productive after all. It would still take time to sooth the burn his jealousy of Gene left behind, but he would try and subdue it in order to give her the devotion she deserved.

He'd enjoyed kissing her more than he anticipated. He had no prior experience from which to draw and had wrongly assumed the act was entirely overrated. It was very pleasing, but it felt so personal he could not begin to imagine why people insisted on necking passionately in public. It was an experience he did not wish to share with anyone else.

But _definitely_ something he wanted to experience again.

He did not think he was _better_ —not yet anyways—but at any rate he felt well on the mend. There were still a number of things he did not understand nor feel entirely comfortable with, but conceivably those would come with time.

Not everything had to make sense yet, he rationalized.

* * *

 _Additional A/N:_

 _Fun fact! This fan fiction was actually intended to be a really smutty one-shot, but it very obviously and very quickly took off in another direction (30,000 words later...). I am happy with the result, for the most part, and I am honestly delighted so many people have enjoyed it._

 _That being said, I am sure some people are disappointed by the lack of sex, for which I do apologize. Perhaps I will write a lovely little smut one of these days._

 _It just felt way too soon for anything overly sexual to occur, especially considering Naru's character development in this. I wanted to make it as real and believable as possible, so awkward, teeth-gnashing make out's and cuddles it was. It's not steamy, but I think it is sincere._

 _I also did not want to jeopardize the T rating._

 _Hopefully that tickled your fancy, though!_


	10. December 26th

_A/N: Chapter 10, folks. Almost there._ _The biggest action has passed, which unfortunately means this will be drawing to a close in the next few days. (_ _Just a heads up now, this chapter and the epilogue will not be as long as some of the middle chapters. I don't want to ruin it by over stuffing them.)_

 _I want to thank all of my readers, especially those who have left such kind reviews. I've had a great time writing this. I haven't written so much in a long, long time and I forgot how relaxing it is. It's both fun and therapeutic, and I look forward writing even more in the future. I hope you will continue to read my work!_

 _I've actually already written the prologue for The Importance of Crayons, so it won't be too long now before I publish it; I hope you join me in it. I am super excited about this story, so stay tuned! It is a multi-chapter drama, romance, and supernatural fan fiction. If y'all care to, venture a guess as to what you think TIoC is about. I dare you. :)_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **December 26** **th** **, 1:24 AM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

Mai decided it was _her_ turn to rouse Naru out of sleep. The plan felt devious, but in reality she had not actually planned to seek revenge by sneaking across the hall to his room at that ungodly hour. She had actually been trying to get some sleep before her long flight home that coming evening, but her mind kept ringing with those bothersome unanswered questions and she knew she would not be able to sleep ever again if they were not resolved.

She wanted to bring it up hours ago when they were alone in her bedroom after separating themselves from the large group. They were yielding to their fatigue one by one anyway. Naru had grown exhausted of their obstinate stares and incessant conversation, so he curtly excused himself first, with Mai following soon after. Despite their isolation, she could not seem to force the words out of her throat. She was afraid she would not like the answers.

So, instead, for those few hours they took it upon themselves to better familiarize themselves with each other's mouths. Not that she was complaining. Plus, it was easier—and more fun—than talking about their impending separation.

He left her room a little over two hours ago to leave her to sleep, but in those hours all she had successfully done was bite off all the fingernails on her left hand.

Thus, in an effort to quell her worries, she knocked on his door hoping he might wake up. She rocked back and forth on her heels for a few moments before she heard a faint scuffling behind the door. It cracked open slightly.

"Naru…?" Mai whispered. The door opened a bit more, putting his face into view of the dark hall.

"Mai…?" he yawned a bit. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied instinctively. "I mean, no. I mean," she sighed defeated, "I don't know. Kind of…" Naru raised an eyebrow in response. "Can I come in…?" she queried quietly. He hesitated.

"Yes, just give me a few seconds," he replied in a low voice before shutting the door. She blinked, confused. A few moments later he opened the door fully, having turned on a small desk lamp. In its light she could see him buttoning up his sleep shirt. "I apologize," he greeted her, gesturing with his head for her to come in. She shuffled under his arm and he closed the door behind her.

"Did you have to put a shirt on?" she asked with a tinge of jest in her voice. He nodded, brushing out the imaginary wrinkles in his pajamas. "You didn't _have_ to, you know…" she teased, trying to start on a light note.

"It would have been indecent of me," he replied. A faint redness that he tried to play off tinted his cheeks. She giggled, finding his uncharacteristically bashful behavior adorable. "Why aren't you sleeping?" he quizzed, sitting on his bed.

"I couldn't fall asleep…" she responded, glancing around his room as she made her way to his bed to join him. This was the first time she had seen his room; it was immaculately clean and organized, save for a pile of askew envelopes on the corner of his desk. She could not say she was surprised. Everything about Naru was well-kept, so there was no reason to think his own personal space would be any different. "I'm sorry I woke you," she murmured, sitting down next to him.

"It's fine," he returned. "You obviously must need something or you would not have come here," he reasoned. "So I see no reason to be sorry." She smiled softly and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," she said. She paused shortly to pry the words she needed out of her throat. "I just…" she sighed again. "I leave today Naru, and I am scared," she admitted sadly.

"Why are you scared?" he asked, turning his head to look down at her. "The flight out will be exactly the same as—"

"No, that's not what I meant Naru," she interrupted. "I mean, I'm scared because I don't know what is going on... Between us," she clarified.

"What don't you understand, in particular?"

"What _are_ we, Naru?" she questioned. "Is there a 'we'?" She lifted her head from his shoulder. He silently contemplated her question, still looking down at her.

"I'm not sure I understand your question," he replied honestly.

"Are we dating?" she blurted, wrapping her arms around herself to brace herself for his answer. His face remained expressionless, but internally he was quite staggered by her candidness. Again, he pondered wordlessly before responding carefully.

"I was under the impression that we are… _together_ , yes," he supplied uncomfortably. What an alien concept. She looked up at him, scanning his face.

"As in…together _dating?"_ she elucidated.

"That is not an incorrect statement," he affirmed.

"Naru," Mai cracked. " _Are we dating, yes or no?"_ she repeated with great stress. He opened and closed his mouth as if he were about to protest, but in the end, he finally mustered a direct answer.

"Yes," he concluded. "If that is what you want." Mai shoved him lightly.

"No shit that's what I want, Naru. Idiot scientist," she shook her head, smiling.

She kissed the frown off his face.

"I thought it would be best to make sure," he shrugged. She nodded, understanding. She figured that until he felt at ease with himself and the whole situation surrounding their...relationship, she would need to be very cognizant of his discomfort.

"We're going to be separated," Mai reminded him.

"And? Your leaving does not change my desire to be with you," he retorted. Mai wondered if it was possible for her entire body to blush.

"We're just going to be so far away for… I don't actually even know how long…" she confessed, clearly crestfallen.

"I don't feel the need to repeat myself," he replied succinctly. "If we both have similar affection for one another, should distance matter?"

"No, it shouldn't," Mai sighed (mostly in relief). "I guess what I'm trying to figure out is if we are going to continue this," she gestured between the two of them, "even though it just started and now I am leaving." She noticed his incredulous face. " _But,"_ she added, "Clearly the answer is yes and I'm just being stupid," she finished with a small laugh.

"You're not stupid," he averred. "But you _are_ ill-informed." He smirked spiritedly.

"You have absolutely no room to talk," she countered, sticking her tongue out.

"Is there anything else you need?" he asked, ignoring her jab. Mai thought for a moment, and before she could stop herself, it slipped out.

"Can I stay here tonight?" How much more forward could she possibly get? Unexpectedly, he did not seem bothered by the question. Perhaps it was because they'd already slept a full night together in the same bed and he could find no reason to be embarrassed. In any case, she was thankful.

"If you would like to, yes," he answered. She grinned impossibly wide.

After they'd turned off the light and settled into a relatively cozy embrace, Mai felt the rest of her worry finally slip away, leaving her feeling very light and relaxed.

For once.

She whispered into a contented sigh. "You know what this means, right Naru?"

"Mmm?" he hummed in his throat.

"You _have_ to answer my letters now."

His only response was to pull her closer to him, though she could feel his body tremble in a rare, noiseless laughter.

* * *

 **6:30 PM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

Japan SPR stood opposite the Davis family and Lin at London International Airport, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes and oversaturating one another other with ' _thank you'_ s.

" _Good bye, Mai_ ," Luella sniffled a bit, pulling her into a crushing hug. _"You will have to come back and visit us sometime, okay?"_ She released Mai and she took a gasping breath before nodding.

" _Th-thank you, Loo-ella. I enjoy that very much,"_ she responded, smiling genuinely. She was grateful to the woman, but she could not wait to ditch the English and speak solely her native tongue again for a great long while. Mai continued her good byes, awkwardly receiving a hug from Martin and exchanging a kind nod with Lin. Even though he was silent and refrained from any physical contact, she could tell the Chinese man was being sincere.

The others said good bye to Naru before Mai, each exchanging a firm handshake and some pleasantries (though she thought she saw Bou-san whisper something threatening in his ear while glancing at Mai when he thought she was not paying attention). Once her friends finished, she stepped in front of Naru. Her heart began to ache.

"Well… Good bye then, Naru," Mai sputtered, face flushing and sticking out a hand to shake his. He raised an eyebrow at her, and with little hesitation he took her hand and pulled her into his chest, embracing her firmly and resting his head against the top of hers. She squeaked at the unexpected display of affection, but melted into his welcoming warmth. She closed her eyes and slipped her arms around his waist, gathering fistfuls of his shirt to pull him closer.

She promised herself she wouldn't cry.

She wouldn't.

 _She wouldn't._

"I am going to miss you," he murmured lowly into her hair.

She _would._

She felt the tears pooling in her eyes and tried to blink them away, but they escaped involuntarily as she tried to keep her composure. She wagered that she looked like a raging idiot.

"I'm going to miss you, too…" she responded as he pulled her back just far enough to see her face. "I'm sorry I'm crying," Mai chuckled forlornly.

"I expected nothing less, actually," he smirked. She whacked his arm gently.

"You're a real jerk, you know that Oliver Davis?" she quipped, trying to suppress a smile.

"I am aware," he simpered. She found his hand and filled it with hers.

They stood in soothing silence for several moments before she spoke again.

"Swear to me you'll answer my letters? Or, you know, just call me because my English is so atrocious," she suggested with a shrug. "Your mother asked for several copies of my phone number, so you don't have an excuse this time."

"I promise you. Please trust me, Mai," he squeezed her hand, gracefully attempting to shift the subject before it got exceedingly soppy.

She did not mind.

"Okay," she pledged. "I trust you."

"Good," he replied. He opened his mouth to say something else, but a booming voice behind him cut him off.

"Mai! We really need to get going," Bou-san called. She craned her neck in the direction of his voice, suddenly becoming very conscious that everyone's eyes were glued to them. It would not have been so bad if Bou-san and Yasu did not have the biggest know-it-all grins plastered on their stupid mugs. She ought to smite them later. "Security awaits." He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. She glared coldly at them before returning her attention to Naru.

"I've got to go now, Naru," she crashed into him to hastily give him one last hug. "Good bye," she said, retreating before he even had a chance to hug her back. She spun on her heels to meet her friends, not wanting to prolong the good bye any longer, but was immediately pulled back by a firm hand.

"Mai," Naru asserted. Confused, she turned herself back towards him, not letting go of his hand.

His expression remained stoic, but Mai could see the acute conflict and deliberation in his eyes, which were fixated directly on hers.

She blinked, waiting.

"I love you," he declared only loud enough for her to hear. Every nerve in her body seized at once and her heart hit the ceiling. She wanted to say it back so desperately, but she had forgotten how to speak. Her mouth was cemented shut.

So logically, instead of fabricating words, she used her mouth for the next best thing she could think of.

In one smooth motion, she stepped nearer to him, gently tugged him down by his shirt collar, and stood on her toes to meet him halfway for a brief, tender kiss. She pulled away quickly and released his collar, fearing she might make him too uncomfortable in public.

He did not seem to mind, though, because he placed a hand on one side of her face, brushing his thumb lightly across her cheek.

"I love you, too," she returned finally, voice barely a whisper. She met his gaze meaningfully for a moment. "I have to go…" He nodded, dropping his hand to his side.

"I hope you have a pleasant flight," he replied awkwardly in lieu of good bye. She smiled.

"Bye, Naru…" she bade, waving a bit before jogging to meet her friends.


	11. Epilogue

_A/N: Here it is, folks. The very last of Business Better Left Unfinished. This is the longest thing I have ever published._

 _I want to thank you all so much for reading along with me. It means so much and I'm over the moon that so many of you have enjoyed it._

 _Favs and reviews are always appreciated. ;)_

 _I hope you will join me in the near future for my next fan fiction, The Importance of Crayons. I have written the prologue (as I mentioned last chapter) but am not uploading it right away because I would like to finish a chapter or two before launching it. Unless you guys realllllllllly want it now... It is of a very different nature than BBLU. It is a romance, drama, and supernatural fic with some heavier topics that may get less suitable for a T rating as it goes along. But if you're anything like me I love to watch my favorite characters suffer and grow through a good shitstorm._

 _Please, enjoy._

* * *

 **May 8** **th** **, 1:01 PM**

 _(Primary Language: Japanese)_

" _Dear Mai,_

 _I must apologize for my delayed response to your previous letter— if it pleases you to hear, your English has greatly improved since your first letter. Though, you ought to pay closer attention to your use of prepositions. There is a significant difference in meaning between "_ putting something on you _" and "_ putting something in you _," but I will not go into it through the post. Nevertheless, I_ _ **implore**_ _you to remember this in the future when you say such things._

 _I have not been ignoring you (clearly), but rather my pursuit of employment has demanded a great percentage of my time. I received an offer (which I've since accepted) that required a lot of petitioning and stacks of paper work. I believe that this job will be of great interest to you._

 _The advisory board that reviewed my doctoral thesis was very pleased with my writings. One of the board members is a friend and colleague of my father at BSPR, and she approached him and I with a proposition. The information I reported on our cases was apparently highly intriguing, and the method in which I collected it was even more so. A Buddhist monk, Catholic priest, Shinto priestess, famous medium, and novice clairvoyant working together may lead to some very interesting discoveries, they think. In sum, she believed with my research and outstanding results, I would be able to receive funding to reopen and manage an SPR branch indefinitely in Japan._

 _She was correct, of course. I attained a substantial grant and will be returning with Lin to Japan to continue my research and start my career. We will discuss the details in person. If it would appeal to you, I would like to extend an offer to rehire you to work at SPR. I will also extend the offer to Yasuhara and invite the others accordingly to partake in the cases we accept._

 _Regardless, I will be returning very soon and I thought perhaps you would like to know that._

 _We will be able to see each other very frequently, which seems very agreeable to me. I do miss your presence. Perhaps you will accompany me out sometime, so long as it is not to the opera._

 _I hope this letter finds you well. I look forward to my return. Again, I apologize for my delay. I hope you understand and can forgive it this time._

 _I love you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Oliver Davis_

Utterly perplexed, Mai stared at the cagy man dressed in black standing on the mat just outside her front door. Her heart vaulted from her chest to pound thunderously in her ears. He was holding a ripped envelope addressed to her in one hand and its corresponding letter in the other. She blinked several times, trying to comprehend what she just witnessed.

"Uh… Hi to you, too?" she sputtered, his hallmark apathetic expression unchanging.

She had just finished preparing herself a bowl of cheap noodles for lunch when she heard a knock at her door. She was not expecting company, so she did not know who would greet her on the other side.

Naru would have been her last guess, but lo and behold, her awkward, judicious boyfriend stood before her. He hadn't even bothered with a hello, instead reading directly from a very professional, very _Naru,_ letter. She had sent her own about a month ago and up until that moment had yet to receive a response. He normally got back to her after three weeks or so (international post permitting), so he was merely a week later than she'd anticipated. She just assumed he was very busy.

Well, she wasn't technically wrong.

"You realize it would have been a lot cheaper to mail that instead of hand deliver it, right?" she teased, putting her hands on her hips and trying to repress a grin.

"A very astute observation," he replied sardonically, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. "I figured it would be easier for you this way. Your English still needs loads of work and this," he raised the paper in his hand, "Is written in English that is far too advanced for you. I did not want to work your brain too hard."

"I would've figured it out eventually!" she objected with an exaggerated huff. "Besides, I did not know you would just randomly show up at my front door today. Some warning would have been nice."

"I have _no_ idea what that's like," Naru replied with a sly smirk. She rolled her eyes, unable to hide her smile any more.

The dynamic of their relationship was completely unconventional, but she loved it. Loved _him._

"I can leave, if you'd like," he offered. "I have an office to unpack."

She rushed forward and crashed into his chest, causing him to stumble backwards. She squeezed him tightly, overwhelmed with sheer delight at his presence. He wrapped his arms around her gently.

She did not know how long they stood in that embrace. The space between them was seamless and it felt too wonderful to disturb. She only snapped out of the enchantment when her stomach grumbled loudly. She pulled back, blushing hard.

He smiled at her and took her hand gently in his.

"Do you want to come in? I was just about to eat lunch," she explained, tugging him towards the interior of her apartment.

"Tea would be nice," he replied brazenly. She gave him an incredulous look.

"I didn't offer you tea," she retorted. He shrugged, stepping inside and removing his shoes.

"That's what I am going to pay you for, isn't it?" She poked him punitively in the chest.

"I'm not on the clock _yet_ , Naru," she countered good-naturedly, closing the door behind them with an exultant, clumsy smile.

 **The End**


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